Abby Lee Miller has seen better days, in more ways than one.
Amidst Dance Moms survivors reliving their trauma and being fired for racism, her health has also been in decline.
A rare cancer left her almost fully paralyzed. Cancer treatments and multiple spinal surgeries later, she’s still not okay.
Complications from recent surgeries have left her in worsening pain and with reduced mobility.
In 2017, Abby Lee Miller went to prison. In 2018, she was released to a halfway house.
Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with Burkitt Lymphoma — a rare cancer usually found in children in Africa.
The cancer was causing a creeping paralysis as it exerted pressure on her spine, and she had to undergo surgeries as well as cancer treatments.
Miller has made use of a wheelchair ever since, and had her ups and downs on her “horrible” health journey.
This week, she spoke to HollywoodLife to share that she has undergone two more surgeries more recently.
Unfortunately, additional surgeries have led to additonal complications that are turning her life upside down.
“[During COVID I had] another surgery on my spine,” Miller revealed.
She shared that this surgery was on “my lumbar region that was the original problem years ago.”
“And,” Miller continued, “that’s why I went to that doctor.”
Miller said that she knew that she needed medical attention “because my leg was going numb when I was driving in all this LA traffic.”
“So,” she reasoned, “I knew something was wrong.”
Miller shared that she developed Spondylolisthesis which grew “worse and worse.”
Spondylolisthesis is an agonizing condition.
When one of the lower spinal vertebrae slips forward and onto the bone directly beneath it, it hurts.
In addition to pain, almost any condition impacting the spine like that can cause temporary or even permanent paralysis.
This isn’t something for which someone can take medication and move past.
Instead, Miller had to go into in-patient rehab therapy.
She also had to undergo restorative surgery — yes, yet another surgery on her spine.
One would think that this is enough of a health catastrophe for an entire town, let alone one person.
But Miller was not done.
In Florida, Miller went on to break her leg in two places.
After this, Miller was admitted to the Level One trauma unit.
Per her doctor’s orders, she had to put no weight whatsoever on that leg for three entire months.
However, Miller affirmed that she is now “standing in place” and “marching.”
Before her second surgery, Miller was able to take 150 steps with the aid of a walker.
She does, however, plan to return to being able to walk that far … but it won’t come easily.
“I need me to coach me,” she joked. “I need an Abby Lee person to whip my butt into shape and make me the best I can be.”
Miller expressed that this has been a “very emotional” journey.
Her goal is to be able to take those first steps while using her walker soon, but not right away.
The current timeline for that progress is, she hopes, “after the holidays.”
“I need to get back to that 150 steps and standing without my hands and standing with brushing my teeth,” Miller stated.
She detailed: “I’m starting that now — all that stuff.”
Whatever we may think about Miller as a person, no one deserves these medical setbacks. We wish her a swift and easy recovery.
