Miller goes through the darkness and into Target
Ashadee Miller, left, shown here with her husband Morgan, has become the face and spokesperson of Target’s new line of mastectomy swimwear for women who have had their breasts removed.
Ashadee Miller’s journey through numerous stages of breast cancer went through just about every emotion possible and led to new twists and turns. For Miller it seemed as though every day brought a new challenge, a new pain, a new sorrow, a new prayer and a new way to find solace in those who supported her.
Miller, of Berlin, said the devastation of the cancer that took her breasts somehow brought her closer to so many people who were there for her.
Many of those people she knew, but some became new friends from Italy, Jamaica and all over the world. Other people entered her life in ways she never dreamed possible.
Recently, the most remarkable people to enter her life were representatives from American retailer Target, which found out about her ordeal and invited her to become the face and spokesperson of its new line of mastectomy swimwear for women who had their breasts removed.
“That was pretty shocking to come out of nowhere,” Miller said.
Miller was selected to be the spokesperson and model for the new line with producers from Minnesota, California and New York coming to meet with her in Berlin.
Film crews filmed a five-minute presentation in the Miller home and several other places around the area including the pool at Comfort Suites. The presentation can now be found on Target’s website.
“It was pretty surreal,” Miller said. “They ate at all of these local places, and I was able to tell my story and introduce the line of product in the video. It has been pretty overwhelming to see this woman from Amish country being this spokesperson for a national line of swimwear. I am so excited to be able to represent survivors and those who have gone through so much being encouraged by my story.”
Target representatives contacted her several weeks after she was finally diagnosed as “no evidence detected” in her battle with cancer.
Miller wasn’t exactly convinced it was for real at first. “I thought it was a scam,” she said. “But they had seen me on Instagram and wanted me to consider it. I was like, ‘the Target?’ We didn’t really even believe it was real until they were in our house ready to film.”
Her video is available online at www.attn.com, a website filled with inspiring and educational videos. Currently, it has been viewed more than 513,000 times, and in the video Miller talks about how she stands in front of a mirror and looks at every aspect of her body, including the fact that she now has no breasts.
“I would touch the scars because each scar was a story,” Miller said. “Every time I did it, I felt this love rushing over me, and I started to fall back in love with my body.”
Miller’s story is inspiring, her courage has been monumental, and her faith and family have been the tentpole that holds it all together.
Now thanks to Target, her inspiring story has been witnessed by many, and her story, voice, spirit and body are bringing hope to those who have gone through a similar ordeal.