Inside Abby Lee Miller’s Tragic History Of Cancer Before Non-Hodgkin’s Diagnosis
June 12 2018, Published 9:42 a.m. ET
Abby Lee Miller’s life has been affected by cancer before she was diagnosed with the disease herself. In the former Dance Moms star’s memoir Everything I Learned About Life, I Learned in Dance Class, she opened up about her family history of cancer.
“My mom and dad were older than the norm when she had me,” she penned in her 2014 book. “So they raised me to be independent because they didn’t know how long they’d be around. My dad, George L. Miller, died a horrible death from esophageal cancer on Father’s Day in 2000.”
Miller, 51, explained how her father took care of her dance studio’s finances up until his death.
“My dad had impeccable credit, and Mom and I never had to worry about money,” she wrote. “Not until he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Suddenly, I found myself in charge of everything business related. Finances were fine by me – I had no problem spending money.”
But as RadarOnline.com readers know, Miller was sentenced to one year and one day in prison for not reporting an international monetary transaction and one count of concealing bankruptcy assets in May 2017.
The family cancer history doesn’t end there for Miller, as she explained how her grandmother died from “what they thought to be breast cancer.”
Miller also explained how she had health issues as a child.
“I was sick a lot as a kid (Maybe because my dad smoked unfiltered Camels? Hello, people!),” she wrote. “I spent a lot of time at the pediatrician’s office, and I’ll never forget him... I loved going once a week to get my allergy shot.”
She continued, “Take it from he kid who grew up with allergies and asthma, who had bronchitis for all of September and October one year, and got to school late with Vicks VapoRub still on her chest.”
In the book, Miller’s friend Colleen Johnson opened up about her weight issues.
“Abby would travel down to visit quite frequently,” she wrote. “On one particular visit… she brought along a large duffel bag. Inside the duffel was a full week’s supply of Nutrisystem products. This was the new diet that Abby was on, and she said that’s all she was eating during the entire week.”
She added how the diet food “remained untouched inside.”
“When it came to the last day of her trip, the bulging duffel had never been unzipped (no surprise really),” she continued.
The ALDC owner was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma shortly after she was released from prison to a halfway house in April. She revealed on Instagram earlier this month that she began her third round of chemo.
Are you surprised by Miller’s family history of cancer? Tell us in the comments!
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