Abby Lee Miller Shares First Photo Back At Work After Grueling Cancer Battle

Television | Celebrity

Abby Lee Miller Shares First Photo Back At Work After Grueling Cancer Battle

Abby Lee Miller/Instagram

Life has been quite the roller coaster ride for Abby Lee Miller.

The controversial Dance Moms star thought she would be able to get back to normal following stint in the slammer, but things took an unexpected turn for the worse.

The 52-year-old had been dealing with debilitating back pain for a couple of weeks, and had also started to experience "excruciating neck pain" and weakness in her arm.

Instead of celebrating her early release, Miller found herself being rushed to the hospital for an emergency surgery.

What was thought to be an infection in her spine turned out to be cancer, specifically an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma called Burkitt lymphoma.

Burkitt lymphoma is a rare cancer strain that attacks the white blood cells and compromises the immune system. Dubbed the fastest-growing human tumor, it can kill patients within weeks.

The reality star's doctor, Hooman Melamaed of the Cedar Sinai Marina de Rey Hospital, said at the time, "If we didn't do something, she was going to die."

In addition to the main surgery to remove parts of her vertebrae, Miller underwent five rounds of chemotherapy and a second "quick little emergency surgery" on her back.

She's had to rely on a motorized wheelchair to get around, and started attending rehab to help her get back on her feet.

Through it all, Miller not only maintained her sense of humor, she also stayed driven.

While on the path to recovery, the dance coach was working on a new season of her hit TV show.

"I'm on a tight schedule; shooting two projects and I need to get out of here and on with my life!" she said.

It took some time, but Miller's wish finally came true and she's sharing the good news with the world.

This week, Miller revealed that she has officially returned to work by posting a photo of herself at her dance studio, Abby Lee Dance Company, on Instagram.

"Grrrrrrrr!!!! Back to the daily grind," she wrote in the captions. "Comment if you can guess what we're shooting today?"

Miller didn't reveal exactly what the filming was for, but she asked her followers to make guesses in the comments.

A few months ago, she was photographed with former Dance Moms competitors Maesi Caes and Eliana Walmsley, which many took as a sign that Miller was definitely returning to the show that she famously resigned from in 2017.

This summer, Lifetime confirmed that the show was casting for its eight season and Miller was involved, so It's safe to assume that whatever it is that she is working on is probably related to Dance Moms.

We're glad to see Miller get back into the studio and do what she does best!

Blair isn't a bestselling author, but she has a knack for beautiful prose. When she isn't writing for Shared, she enjoys listening to podcasts.