Encouraging Words For Miller
- Abby Lee Miller recently reunited with her pal and fellow performer Todrick Hall who shared some encouraging words about her progress in getting out of her wheelchair.
- Miller was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma in April 2018, and after suffering complications from her first spinal surgery, she's been bound to an electric wheelchair.
- Hall’s encouragement of Miller is exactly what she needs to keep pushing for achievements. Experts say that a strong and positive mindset can help guide patients to more successful treatment outcomes and reach goals.
In a YouTube video posted by Miller, the Dance Moms coach gets a quick tour of Hall’s home. The pair have worked together in the past by choreographing numbers, and this time it was Hall’s turn to take Miller’s instruction. At the start of the performance, Miller noted that they were initially going to practice the routine in front of Hall’s house on the outside steps, but due to her wheelchair she wouldn’t be able to. She then added that she may never get out of the wheelchair, and Hall immediately demanded she get rid of that mindset.
Read MoreMiller was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma in April 2018, and after suffering complications from her first spinal surgery, she's been bound to an electric wheelchair. She attends regular physical therapy sessions to build her strength back up, but recently faced yet another obstacle as a result of a second spinal surgery she had in October 2020. The procedure caused the fracture of two vertebrae. She went through a third spinal surgery in November 2020 to rectify the damage, and Miller told SurvivorNet the doctor "put enough rods and pins in me for 20 people."
Now, she says, "I can walk a couple steps with the walker, but I'm not where I was before September 30."
Mindset To Achieve Goals
Hall’s encouragement of Miller is exactly what she needs to keep pushing for achievements. She has always kept everyone up to date on her physical therapy progress, and even though she’s still in a wheelchair, she’s made huge strides. When it comes to reaching milestones, whether during health problems or a cancer fight, experts say that a strong and positive mindset can help guide patients to more successful treatment outcomes, and also help them recover more easily.
"We call it 'eye of the tiger,’" Dr. Sid Ganguly, deputy director of hematologic malignancies and cellular therapeutics at the University of Kansas Medical Center, previously told SurvivorNet. "You have to have the eye of the tiger to go through this grueling process that is necessary these days to get rid of these virulent and aggressive cancers."
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This 'eye of the tiger' mentality not only refers to someone's attitude; it also includes diet and exercise. By incorporating all three of these factors, it can help patients keep up their health. "A good positive mind increases our interleukins, our immune system," Dr. Ganguly says. "There have been many researches that already have proved that depression is associated with decreased immune system, increased chance of infection. Seasonal affective disorders during winter has been associated with increased respiratory illnesses as well."
Dr. Sid Ganguly explains how the "eye of the tiger" mindset helps both patients and survivors
Staying Positive
Studies have proven that patients who are able to remain positive during and after treatment have more successful outcomes. That’s why for Miller, reuniting with a good friend and letting loose with some enjoyable dance probably gave her the boost she needed to continue fighting. Of course, this is often easier said than done. It can be difficult to focus on anything except your treatment, or getting better after the process. However, if you're able to stay uplifted by doing activities you enjoy, then that should also be prioritized even the experts say so.
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"We know from good studies that emotional health [and] quality of life is associated with survival, meaning better quality of life is associated with better survival, better outcomes," Dr. Dana Chase, a gynecologic oncologist at Arizona Oncology, told SurvivorNet. "So working on your emotional health, your physical well-being, your social environment, your emotional well-being, making them better are important and can impact your survival. If that's related to what activities you do that bring you joy, then you should try to do more of those activities."
Dr. Dana Chase explains why mindset is so important when facing difficult times
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