Nadia's Story

Nadia, was only 28-years-old when she found a one-centimeter lump in her left breast. She made an appointment to see her primary physician the next day and subsequently saw two specialists before being diagnosed with breast cancer.

“The first thing I thought was, I am going to die,” Miller said. “It hadn’t even been two years since I lost my sister. To look my parents in the face and tell them that I had the same disease that took their other daughter away from them was almost too much at the time.”

Breast cancer was no stranger to Miller’s family. Besides her sister, two aunts and her grandmother had previously been diagnosed with the disease. Miller calls prior knowledge of the disease a “double-edged sword.” “Every survivor’s case is different, but I knew what cancer looked like, what chemotherapy looked like, what radiation looked like,” she said. “And I knew what I would probably have to endure. I was scared, but I was also glad that I knew, because by any means necessary, I wanted to live.”

After Miller was beginning chemotherapy after her mastectomy, her oncologist sent her to a geneticist to see if she was BRCA positive, a genetic indicator that she might be at risk for cancer in her other breast. When she proved positive, she had her second breast removed as a preventative measure. “I don’t think it was an option,” she said. “If you want to be here, this is what you’ll do. If you want to gamble on your life you’ll wait and see what happens in the next couple of years. I wasn’t ready to take that chance.”

Miller got through her treatments with the help of friends and family. Miller was never alone during treatments and appreciated knowing her extended family was “in her corner.” She also found comfort from grounding herself in prayer.

Being a breast cancer survivor has changed Miller’s life. In 2008 and 2009 she chaired the  Susan G. Komen for the Cure – Indianapolis Affiliate’s “Circle of Promise, “a faith-based educational symposium on breast cancer for African-American women, who are disproportionately affected by breast cancer. She was one of two honorary survivors for the 2009 Komen Indianapolis Race for the Cure. “I am using my voice and my story to speak to the community and encourage them to take control of their health care, because breast cancer tends to be a cultural thing,” she said. Miller with the facilitation and coordination of her brother founded Pink-4-Ever in order to ensure that the minority community especially women would receive comprehensive information, support and resources regarding breast cancer health and prevention. Miller's primary motivation was to create a movement among the community to dispel myths about breast cancer and to create and environment where "Its Ok To Talk About It".