Abby Lee Miller says goodbye to her hair during chemotherapy
"Hair today, gone tomorrow..."
"Hair today, gone tomorrow..."
"Hair today, gone tomorrow..."
UPDATE 6/25:
- "Dance Moms" star Abby Lee Miller said goodbye to her hair in preparation for chemotherapy in an Instagram post Sunday.
- Abby began her third round of chemotherapy in early June as treatment for Burkitt lymphoma.
- Burkitt lymphoma, a type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, is a cancer that starts in the white blood cells, and can be lethal within weeks without treatment.
"Dance Moms" star Abby Lee Miller said goodbye to her hair Sunday as she braces for the impacts of chemotherapy.
Miller, who began her third round of chemotherapy earlier this month, shared her message on Instagram: "HAIR TODAY, GONE TOMORROW..." she wrote, along with the hashtag #chemo.
The post comes days after the 51-year-old reality TV star was spotted moving around in a wheelchair, reported.
Just weeks ago, on June 5, Miller underwent emergency surgery as part of her treatment for a rare form of cancer known as Burkitt lymphoma, a type of , according to . Her diagnosis came after she underwent another emergency surgery in April for what doctors thought was a spinal infection.
UPDATE 9/6:
- "Dance Moms" star Abby Lee Miller underwent emergency surgery Tuesday evening after a two-hour MRI.
- Abby's surgery comes just days after she began her third round of chemotherapy for Burkitt lymphoma, a rare type of cancer.
- Burkitt lymphoma, a type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, is cancer that starts in the white blood cells, and can be lethal within weeks without treatment.
"Dance Moms" star Abby Lee Miller is currently recovering after undergoing emergency surgery Tuesday evening.
Abby, who began her third round of chemotherapy earlier this week, shared her update on Instagram: "Another 2 hour MRI this morning, the pros thought I needed one more quick little emergency surgery! Ugh!" It's unclear from her post what procedure she had, or why she needed to have the surgery at all.
Despite the scare, Abby seems to be in good spirits. "I'm in recovery now and texting so everything must be ok, just hiccups in my plans!" she said on Instagram, adding that she's "grateful for all the well wishes!"
ORIGINAL 9/5:
"Dance Moms" star Abby Lee Miller has had an intense past few months in the health department. First, she was and had to have emergency spinal surgery. Then, she learned she had a rare form of cancer known as Burkitt lymphoma (a type of ), according to . Now she’s undergoing her third round of chemo to try to treat her cancer.
Miller (who has been in the hospital since mid-April, per ) shared a closeup of her face bathed in sunlight on Instagram Sunday. “Going outside to feel the sun on my face was wonderful!!!” she wrote. “Kids, never take anything in this world for granted! It can all change so suddenly! The Brilliant Dr. B cleared me for sunning this afternoon! Woo Hoo! Thank you sir!”
Her sweet sunning shot comes just days after she revealed that she was about to start her third round of chemotherapy. “I should be planning a weekend of fun in the sun at the pool!," she captioned a throwback photo on Instagram. "There’s nothing I enjoy more than swimming and a good tan! Instead, I start round 3 of chemo……… another battle that I must win!!!”
What is Burkitt lymphoma?
In case you’re not familiar with it, Burkitt lymphoma is an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects white blood cells, according to the .
With Burkitt lymphoma, the cancer usually starts in a person’s abdomen, where it forms a large tumor. It can spread rapidly to the brain and spinal fluid. It is very rare, according to the — making up just 1 percent to 2 percent of all lymphomas.
“Burkitt lymphoma is very aggressive,” says Dr. Jack Jacoub, a medical oncologist and medical director of MemorialCare Cancer Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California. “It can be lethal in a matter of weeks with no therapy.” Luckily, the ACS says that more than half of patients can be cured by “intensive chemotherapy.”
There's no word on how much longer Miller's treatment is expected to take, but for her specific type of cancer, treatment generally involves undergoing chemotherapy cycles for four to five months, Jacoub says. That can include chemotherapy injections into the spine as well as intravenous chemo.
Why did Abby have to avoid sun exposure during treatment?
Jacoub says people who undergo chemo can burn a lot easier and quicker than others. He adds that doctors usually advise patients not receive direct, prolonged sun exposure for several weeks after their last chemotherapy session. However, it’s probably okay to briefly grab a few rays here and there.