Ashadee Miller's faith leads her to Mexico in hopes of fighting cancer
When Ashadee Miller was diagnosed with a rare form of aggressive breast cancer last year and treatments didn’t have a positive effect, she relied on her faith to help guide and direct her life.
Miller turned to the story of Abraham and Isaac for inspiration. In that story God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac to prove his faith. Abraham was willing, but in the end Isaac was spared when God provided a ram in the thicket as an alternate sacrifice.
Miller is trusting God will show her his grace and mercy in that same way. “I am praying that there is a ram in the bushes,” she said. “We are trusting that God has a miracle in store for me and that he will show us the answers to beating this cancer.”
As a fitness trainer Miller knows sometimes people have to go to great lengths to be healthy. She has encouraged many people to fight hard to become as healthy as possible. Now the trainer is relying on her own advice to fight hard and to remain committed to overcoming cancer.
Miller lives in Berlin and is the wife of Morgan Miller and a mother of two: Daniella, 9, and Darius, 4. She said aside from her faith, her biggest inspiration has been her family.
After an unsuccessful battle using traditional chemotherapy, Miller has explored other forms of treatment. This fall she and her husband traveled to Tijuana, Mexico to a medical facility called Hope for Cancer. There she underwent an array of treatments. Her seven weeks consisted of rising early every morning and going to bed at 10 p.m., and in between was a battery of different tests and therapies.
“I am curious and excited and very at peace with the way things went in Mexico,” Miller said. “I saw a lot of positive changes, and there is no way I am going to let bad news get me down. We weren’t getting any answers here, so we did a lot of praying, and we felt God leading me to Mexico. We wanted to take a very proactive approach to the healing process, and we believe there is a way to slow this down and reverse it. I know everything is still far from perfect, but I am truly excited about the future.”
Miller’s treatment now includes 20 different supplements and medications and seven types of treatment plans, all of which can be done in the comfort of her home. She said her treatments in Mexico helped her realize there are certain deterrents to cancer, among them being oxygen, heat and light.
“A lot of the treatments are based on bringing in more oxygen to my body as well as the use of infrared light treatments that introduce heat into the body, both of which help kill cancer cells,” Miller said. “Every other day we did hypothermia, in which they sent my internal body temperature up to 104 degrees to imitate a fever to help kill off cancer cells.”
Another treatment included light therapy, where doctors take light sensitizers to highlight abnormalities and cancer cells. Doctors there also discovered Miller was suffering from heavy metal poisoning, and that has led her and her family to eat organically.
“I was shocked to learn the levels of toxicity in my brain and in my body,” Miller said. “That made me realize that the way we live affects us. Getting rid of all of those chemicals and pesticides was critical. I eliminated a ton of different foods that were raising my hormone levels, but it has been difficult with a husband and two kids of how to best eat organically while taking all of these supplements along with the therapy. It has been a monumental change in lifestyle for not just me, but for my family.”
Miller said while there are usually serious side effects with the usual chemotherapy and treatment routes, what she has found in her treatment in Mexico has none. Her weekly routine will be implementing the various treatment for five days and then taking two days off for three months.
Miller said she knows it won’t be easy but is dedicated to following through because she believes this is her chance to overcome the disease. She said relying on her faith is critical, and her faith and her family are what have given her the courage to declare war on cancer.
“I tell people all the time that I could not do this without my faith or my family,” Miller said. “This is an incredibly long journey, and like Abraham and Isaac, I do feel like I am laying my body on the altar. There are times when I want to crawl off of it, but I am firm in my belief that God knows what is best for me and he will put me where he wants me. It’s been over one year since I was diagnosed, and my husband and children have been amazing throughout the ordeal. We were gone in Mexico for seven weeks, and they think it is done. It isn’t done yet, but they have been so strong, and the prayers they pray and the faith they have shown has encouraged me to keep going, and that is one of the most beautiful parts of this journey.”
The trip to Mexico was not cheap, and the Millers were blessed by a community that helped provide much of the $70,000 to pay for a treatment in Mexico that insurance will not cover.
Her sister-in-law Jolene Miller started a fund-me page online at www.donorbox.org/ashadee-miller-medical-fund.
There also is an Ashadee Miller Benefit Fund set up through their church at any branch of the Commercial & Savings Bank for anyone interested in helping her.
“We are forever grateful to those who have given because without them it wouldn’t have been possible,” Miller said.
A return trip to Mexico for four days in January and a six-month follow-up will add to the expenses. Future operations, the ongoing in-home treatments, therapy and medications, the natural treatments, and organic food also will add to the expenses the Millers are incurring.
While it is expensive, Miller said being able to commit to the treatments and therapy at home is huge because she can spend time with her family, and being at home adds to the mental outlook she faces daily.
As changes continue to take place in Miller’s life and she sifts through good days and bad days, she said she is grateful for the encouraging signs as well as encouragement from others. She said she has quickly realized amidst all of the medication that food has become one of her medicines.
“I am excited and more than ready to get this pesky intruder out of my body,” Miller said of cancer.
Between her faith, her family, her doctors, her treatments and her positive attitude, Miller said she feels as though she has given herself every opportunity to beat this disease.