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'Elite' Teenage Figure Skater Gets Life-Changing Diagnosis, Then Raises Over $1M for Research (Exclusive)
Marta Eliza Miller was diagnosed with scoliosis when she was 11
By Meredith Wilshere Published on March 15, 2026 05:00AM EDT
Marta Miller
Credit: Cathryn Farnsworth; Courtesy of the Marta Eliza Miller Foundation
NEED TO KNOW
Marta Eliza Miller was diagnosed with scoliosis at 11, and by age 13, she had a 48-degree spinal curve
She and her mother founded the Marta Eliza Miller Foundation to raise awareness about the condition and raise funds for research
Miller tells PEOPLE that the foundation has since raised over $1 million
Marta Eliza Miller's happy place has always been on the ice, but a diagnosis at age 11 threatened everything she had been working toward for years.
"My mom noticed that I leaned to my left side and looked down while I was skating," the California-based teen tells PEOPLE. "Whenever we tried a posture brace, it would always shift to the wrong side."
"My mom did some research and realized that I might have scoliosis, so I got diagnosed when I was 11 years old and started wearing my flexible brace," she continues. "A year later, when I was doing a double lutz, I injured my right hip flexor, went to the Children's Hospital, and they noticed that I had scoliosis and a shorter left leg. The hospital started monitoring my scoliosis."
Featured on KOST-FM iHeartRadio “The Ellen Show” for Giving Tuesday
Featured in CHLA “Imagine” Magazine December 2023 Issue
Marta Miller: A Source of Inspiration
On and Off the Ice
December 4, 2023
by Sara Jones
Marta, a patient in the Jackie and Gene Autry Orthopedic Center and a proud Junior Ambassador, has raised more than $50,000 for CHLA through ice skating exhibitions and more.
At 16 years old, Marta Miller has accomplished more than the average teenager. Competitive ice dancer, member of U.S. Figure Skating, musical theater performer and philanthropist describe just some of her many talents. A grateful patient and Junior Ambassador for Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Marta has raised more than $50,000 for the Children's Spine Center.
Featured on KTLA 5 for Giving Tuesday 2023
Support CHLA this Giving Tuesday (10 a.m.)
Morning NewsNov 28, 2023 / 12:24 PM PST
Megan Henderson was live from the Children's Hospital Los Angeles with details on the 8th Annual Giving Tuesday fundraiser with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, KOST 103.5 and KTLA5. KTLA viewers can donate via CHLA.org/KTLA or by calling 1-800-770-CHLA (2452) Donate $35 or more and a child in the hospital will receive Donate $35 or more and a child in the hospital will receive a My Paw In Yours Puppy, thanks to a partnership with Jamie Lee Curtis’ company, My Hand in Yours. With your gift, you are supporting care in more than 350 specialty programs and services, as well as leading-edge research that helps kids in Los Angeles and throughout the world. Megan Henderson reports for the KTLA 5 Morning News on November 28, 2023.