On Cocoa Avenue in Hershey, the Miller family’s story is rooted in history, neighborhood connection, and the kind of love that grows brighter through unexpected chapters. John and Lauren Miller have called their 102-year-old home on Cocoa Avenue home since 2017, carefully restoring it and preserving a small piece of Hershey’s past while raising their three daughters: Olivia, 13; Lily, 4; and Kylie, 18 months.

     Olivia fills the family calendar with field hockey and track and field, competing for Hershey Middle School and PA United Field Hockey Club. Lily brings color to the sidewalk in front of their home, often creating chalk drawings with her dad. And Kylie, the youngest, has brought what her family describes simply and beautifully as “light.”

     Kylie was an unexpected addition to the Millers’ family, arriving during a season when they needed joy. From the beginning, she has had a way of making ordinary moments feel warmer. She catches someone’s eye, offers a big smile, and a simple encounter becomes a connection. Her family says she is a “fan favorite” wherever she goes—not because of a diagnosis, but because of who she is: social, affectionate, resilient, and eager to be included wherever her sisters are.

     Kylie has Down syndrome, and for the Millers, learning what that would mean for their family came with questions, unknowns, and, ultimately, an expanded understanding of joy. They want everyone they encounter to know that Down syndrome is part of Kylie’s life, but it is not the whole of who she is. She is a daughter, a sister, a people-loving toddler, and a child whose milestones are celebrated loudly by the people who adore her most.

     That joy comes alongside serious challenges. Kylie has already faced significant health concerns, including two pediatric ICU stays, with aspiration contributing to some of those hospitalizations. She also has an upcoming heart surgery. Through it all, her family has watched her resilience with awe. Each sign of progress, each therapy milestone, and each small victory carries deep meaning.

Support has mattered. Pennsylvania’s Early Intervention program, through the Department of Human Services, has provided physical therapy and special instruction for Kylie. Her care also includes VitalStim therapy, which helps strengthen the muscles involved in swallowing so she can swallow more safely. The Millers are deeply grateful for the therapists who work with Kylie and for programs that make early support available to families navigating unfamiliar territory.

     One of the first meaningful connections came through Jack’s Basket, an organization that celebrates babies with Down syndrome and welcomes their families with gifts, resources, and the chance to connect with another parent raising a child with Down syndrome. When Jack’s Basket reached out, the Millers were still learning what life with Kylie might look like. Meeting Lauren Talhelm (local resident, mother to a Down Syndrome child and all-around awesome advocate with 3.21 for Life) made a lasting difference. Her kindness and warmth helped them feel less alone and more able to see the possibilities ahead.

     “The basket gave us something tangible to hold onto, and the kindness behind it stayed with us,” the family shared. More than a gift, it was a welcome into a community that was already celebrating Kylie.

     The family has also been encouraged by 3.21 for Life (Featured in Greet Hershey March 2026), the local organization that raises awareness of people with Down syndrome and promotes inclusion in the community. For the Millers, knowing that supportive organizations and people nearby has been a source of comfort. They hope other families welcoming a child with Down syndrome know that encouragement and practical help can be found close to home.

     Since October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month, the Millers hope Greet Hershey readers take that awareness personally. Their message is simple: get to know people with Down syndrome as individuals. Every person has their own personality, abilities, interests, and gifts. For Kylie, the family hopes for a community where she is welcomed, included, and given opportunities to discover what she enjoys and what she can do.

     That desire to raise awareness led the family to enter Kylie in Baby of the Year, a national competition with a $25,000 grand prize and an advertising campaign with The Honest Company. At the time of this interview, Kylie was still competing. Winning would be exciting, but the competition has always been about more than a title. It has been a way to share the beauty and light Kylie brings to their lives while drawing attention to Jack’s Basket and 3.21 for Life. If Kylie wins, the Millers plan to donate half of the prize—$12,500—equally between Jack’s Basket and 3.21 for Life, with $6,250 going to each organization. The remaining $12,500 would help with medical expenses related to Kylie’s upcoming heart surgery. For the family, it is a chance to meet Kylie’s needs while giving back to organizations that have helped families like theirs feel welcomed and encouraged.

     The Millers’ story is also deeply tied to Hershey itself. John grew up in Hershey and attended Derry Township schools from kindergarten through twelfth grade. His family’s roots reach back generations, including a maternal great-grandfather who worked in the limestone quarries for Milton Hershey. The Annibali side of his family came to Hershey from Ascoli Piceno in Italy’s Marche region and is recognized by the historical society as one of the original Italian families to settle in the area. Lauren grew up in Camp Hill, with Pittsburgh family roots that still make for friendly rivalry whenever Pittsburgh and Philadelphia teams meet. Today, she works as a biomedical research project manager with Penn State College of Medicine on the Hershey Medical Center campus. John is a project and program manager at Kleinfelder and also runs Tuor LLC, where his interests in history, maps, and photography come together.

     For a family living in a century-old home they worked hard to restore, preservation is very personal. Their care for the home earned them the 2018 Hershey-Derry Township Historical Society preservation award, and they continue to see themselves as stewards of both the house and the stories it holds. The past is never far away on Cocoa Avenue. The Millers have met people whose own memories are connected to their home, including a 99-year-old woman who purchased the property from the original owner’s estate in the 1950s and shared stories of what had changed and what remained familiar. Another former resident told the Millers that the Penn State Blue Band gathered and played together on the large, limestone wrap around porch of the home. Those conversations have made the family even more grateful to be raising their daughters in a place where generations of memories overlap.

     For John and Lauren, the story of their family is not defined by one diagnosis or one challenge. It is a story of three daughters growing into themselves, of a historic home filled with new life, of neighbors who stop to talk, of support that arrives at just the right time, and of a little girl whose smile has a way of opening doors.

     That spirit of welcome is what the Millers hope Kylie will always know in Hershey: a community that sees her fully, includes her gladly, and recognizes the beauty she brings simply by being herself.