"Dance Moms" star Abby Lee Miller thought getting out of Federal Prison after her nearly one-year stint for bankruptcy fraud meant a new lease on life. The reality star moved into a halfway house in California where she's expected to remain until May 2018 as part of her transition to life as an ex-con. Since her release from prison, Miller has suffered several health crises, and this latest came with a stunning cancer diagnosis.
Numerous health scares for Abby Lee Miller
Not long after her release from prison, the "Dance Moms" diva was sent via ambulance to a local LA hospital where she was treated for a thyroid condition two weeks ago.
Before Abby Lee went to prison, she had a gastric-sleeve procedure to encourage weight loss and reportedly shed more than 100 pounds while behind bars.
As an after-effect of the surgery and associated medications, she developed hypothyroidism, as reported by Entertainment Tonight. Her physician told ET that she has "severe muscle and bone pain in her back, shoulders, arms, and legs." But that's not all that's happened. Earlier this week, on April 18, Abby required life-saving surgery.
'Dance Moms' star may never walk again!
Cosmopolitan reported that on Tuesday, April 18, Abby Lee Miller was recovering from emergency surgery for a spinal infection. Her physician, Dr. Hooman Melamed shared in a press conference that the former dance instructor was "completely, basically paralyzed" and was going to die if she didn't have the surgery because her blood pressure had dropped to dangerously low levels.
The five-hour surgery took place at LA's esteemed Cedars-Sinai hospital, but it's not the end of that ordeal. Her doctor reported she will need further surgeries to stabilize her spine and said he's unsure whether she will ever walk again. At the time of the surgery, Dr. Melamed wasn't sure what caused the spinal infection, but her next medical crisis revealed the source.
Abby Lee Miller has non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
A day after the life-saving surgery, Dr. Melamed updated the media on Abby Lee's prognosis saying, "It was not an infection" but "a type of cancer" that caused her near-death crisis. Her doctor said they are getting an oncologist involved to determine what type of treatment she'll need but shared that "she will undergo chemotherapy or radiation."
Abby Lee Miller's prognosis is uncertain because the doctors have yet to locate the source tumor, but her doctor said if her cancer has spread anywhere it "is automatically Stage 4" cancer.
This news is a sad start to Abby Lee Miller's plans for love and life after incarceration. She shared recently that, "I am a better person for this experience," but now ill-health has sidelined her new life.
"Dance Moms" fans can share well-wishes for her recovery on Abby Lee's Instagram @therealabbylee or Twitter @Abby_Lee_Miller.
