CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Inspiring those who have given up hope is the goal of a book co-written by a television star and a man who was treated for a terminal illness right here in Corpus Christi.
3News sat down with Growing Pains star Jeremy Miller to talk about his new book "When I Wished Upon a Star." Miller is known for his portrayal of Ben Seaver on Growing Pains and its two reunion movies.
Miller talked about a book he co-authored with a young man named Brandon Phillips. He met then 12-year-old Phillips on the set of Growing Pains when he was a Make-A-Wish kid, allowing him his dream of meeting his favorite TV star during filming in Hollywood.
Phillips is from Jena, Fla., and was diagnosed with a heart condition that was untreatable and was told he would not reach the age of 20. His meeting with Miller changed his negative attitude about life after learning about Miller's religious beliefs.
"He went from being a struggling student being held back to a straight-A student pretty much from then. He just saw that maybe God had a purpose for his life. Maybe there was just more than dying before he was 20 in his little hometown," Miller said.
According to Miller, because of medical advances that cured him, Phillips went from a straight-A student and became a doctor in Texas at the very hospitals that treated him for his heart problem. Miller maintained their friendship and invited the medical doctor to join him in New Orleans, where they were filming a Growing Pains movie.
"He got to see a lot of the downfall even though I was very good at hiding a lot of it. Also, Brandon was very crucial in helping me get into the program that helped save my life. He vouched for me with the CEO, him and Alan Thicke both. They were the two people who stepped up and reached out to this program after my mom had pleaded to them to help save my life," Miller said.
"When I Wished Upon a Star" was just published and is available on Amazon.