11/14/2022 0 Comments Racine journal times![]() The diagnosis was angiosarcoma, a rare cancer of the blood vessels that spreads to the connective tissues. The doctor referred Miller to the University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center in Madison, one of the nation’s major cancer centers, with a medical staff of 350.ĭoctors took 60 biopsies from Miller’s scalp in an effort to find what kind of cancer had taken hold. “The word ‘cancer’ just sent chills through me.” Believe it or not, I was afraid,” he said. Lloyd Miller’s story as it appeared in the Journal Times on Dec. The doctor took a biopsy, then delivered the kind of heart-stopping news everyone fears. Upon returning to Racine from Miami, Miller went to see his doctor in Kenosha. It didn’t concern him, until his eye began to swell so badly he had to soak it to get it to open. #RACINE JOURNAL TIMES PATCH#A sunburn-like patch of blisters appeared on the left side of his scalp. The first inkling of trouble came in 1987 while he was on a cruise with Sue, his wife of 16 years. I don’t think about it every day.”īut for much of the past few years, Miller had little choice but to think about cancer. “I feel so comfortable, it’s almost a sin. And although there still is a risk the cancer could come back and attack his lungs, he doesn’t let it worry him. Miller’s rare form of cancer is in remission, four years after it was discovered. He is part of a growing group with a determination to live life fully, with a new appreciation for what was almost lost. He is one of the 50 percent of cancer patients who live through the terrifying diagnosis, the fear, the uncertainty, the sickening treatments and the real risk of death. I do not look at each day as a day closer to death, but another day to be appreciated and enjoyed.” “I do not consider myself dying of cancer,” he says, softly tracing an invisible pattern on the kitchen table with his index finger, “but living despite it. Lloyd Miller never used to have time for hobbies. He finds it a lot easier to tell his wife and friends that he loves them.Īnd although life has brought him persistent heart problems and a cancer that came back four times, Miller considers himself lucky. He isn’t bothered by the little things anymore. The bird feeder is one of the little ways Miller is a different man now. He has a firm handshake, a hearty belly laugh and a warmth that twinkles from beneath his spectacles. “I’ll have to win the lottery.”Īside from the pinkish patch of scar tissue on his head and his lack of hair, you would never know this man tangled with a rare, life-threatening cancer. Now, I’m feeding the birds at $10 a week,” Miller says with a chuckle. Army to his career as a salesman and Racine’s city development director, Miller was a busy man. From his early days as a cavalry instructor in the U.S. The project won awards from the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, the American Cancer Society and the American College of Radiology.įor much of his life, the 71-year-old Miller never had time for little hobbies like bird watching. This story was part of an award-winning 12-page special section published in The Journal Times on Dec. They are a living reminder of just how much Miller’s life has changed in the past four years. Oblivious to the man watching them from just feet away, the birds went about their business, then flew away. A group of sparrows perched on the edge of the bird feeder outside Lloyd Miller’s window, pecking at the seeds like there was no tomorrow. ![]()
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