Emily Miller made it to double digits Friday, and for once, the number had nothing to do with lab results. Emily turned 10 years old after a bone marrow transplant, and fighting through three types of cancer for the majority of her life.

"Being 10 feels like I could drive. I feel like a tiny adult," Emily said. "My birthday wish is a secret, but I'll tell you, it's to have the happiest of birthdays."

No one knew if Emily would make it to 10.

"There were times when we really didn't know if we could get to Emily's birthday. A lot of times I thought she couldn't. It makes you realize how fast time goes" said Cory Miller, Emily's father.

Emily had a successful bone marrow transplant in August at American Family Children's Hospital in Madison for acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, a cancer that starts inside bone marrow and develops quickly.

"Since the transplant, everything has been going good, but we take things day by day, and have been kind of grounded as one of Emily's friends passed away last Sunday," Miller said.

Sally was almost 3 years old.

Emily and Sally watched the magic shows at the American Family Children's Hospital together while healing, Miller said.

But no surprise to her parents, Emily waved goodbye to the hospital more than two weeks earlier than expected by doctors. She was eager to jump on a trampoline and ready to rumble with her younger brother, Isiah, 7.

It will be 100 days after her transplant on Dec. 7, Miller said, and Emily has completed three engraftment studies. In order for a transplant team to decipher which cells are multiplying - either the patient's or the donor's healthy cells - an engraftment study is done 30 days after a bone marrow transplant, according to the National Marrow Donor Program. Emily had enough cells for the study in half that time, Miller said, and her blood was drawn on day 18 after the transplant.

"The results of that were on the lymphocytes 95 percent new cells and 5 percent her old cells, and on the myloid it was 83 percent new cells and 17 percent old cells. It's pretty much where they wanted them to be, 95 percent or better," Miller said.

The cardiologist took her off one of her heart medication.

"We were told that if she has another good engraftment study, then her central line will be taken out, which means one step closer to swimming for her," Miller said.

The family is also starting to taper down the amount of anti-rejection medication she is getting.

"It was hard because she had been on some of the medications from three to five years, and now we're trying to ween her off of them," Miller said.

"She is much happier," said Jen Miller, Emily's mother.

The Miller family will also have a low-key party with the request of an ice cream cake by Emily.

"She wants to celebrate her birthday by swimming with her friends later in the Dells," Miller said.

Wearing a maroon party dress, Emily opened an Easy Bake Oven, and loads of Hannah Montana gear, who also appeared on her birthday plates.

Another birthday wish come true for Emily was the return of her dog, Annie.

"We just didn't have time to take care of her since we were away so much back-and-forth to the hospital," Jen said.

Emily and the springer spaniel are both "excitable."

"I've missed her. She's been gone for over a year," Emily said.

"She's home for good now," Miller said.

Emily was diagnosed with her first type of cancer, acute lymphocytic leukemia in 2002, overcame it in 2005 and was in remission until April of last year when she was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma. During routine lab tests in April, her family was informed of the third form of cancer.

jmccoy@capitalnewsp