Battling cancer as a family
Published: October 3, 2005
Diane Miller is from a large Italian family that seems blessed with longevity. They’ve always boasted that they don’t die of sickness; they die of old age.
That sense of assurance was shattered about seven years ago when Miller and two of her four sisters were all diagnosed with breast cancer within a three-year period.
“It was really devastating to our family,” she said. “And we have four daughters between us, so we had to worry about the next generation.”
Their family members usually live healthily into old age and have no history of breast cancer, so the three diagnoses came as a shock, said Miller: Her father lived to 89, and her mother is still living medication-free at age 90.
Their journey began when Miller received a call from her older sister. Her sister told her to sit down for the news. She had been diagnosed with breast cancer and eventually underwent a mastectomy to remove the cancer.
Miller’s breast cancer was detected a year later at age 42 and was followed shortly by her twin sister’s diagnosis. Miller and her twin were able to undergo breast conservation therapy. Both underwent lumpectomies — removal of the cancerous lump and some surrounding tissue — and radiation, and her sister also had a round of chemotherapy to eradicate her cancer.
Going through the experience together made them better able to support one another not only as sisters but also as fellow cancer patients.
“The support system kicks in,” she said. “You know how to support someone a little better when they’re going through it.”
The three sisters are cancer-free now, although the higher risk of breast cancer that their daughters face is an issue they now must consider. Having a mother with breast cancer about doubles a woman’s risk of having it, according to the American Cancer Society.
However, the experience battling breast cancer has taught her family a lesson about their own mortality, Miller said.
“We thought we were invincible,” she said. “We’ve become more aware. We’ve always loved to live and now we know what that means.”
Another positive aspect that Miller had drawn from her battle with breast cancer is the empowerment it has given her to help others. She said she feels blessed from the experience that has “given her a purpose in life.”
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