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Miller, a former gymnast and seven-time Olympic medalist, is an ovarian cancer survivor. Even before her illness, she was an advocate for health and wellness, particularly preventative care. In the wake of COVID-19, her work may be more important than ever. According to data from the Epic Health Research Network, certain preventative cancer screenings in the US decreased by 86 to 94 percent during March 2020, compared to the number of screenings from

Some days, Shannon Miller feels like her ovarian cancer diagnosis happened a lifetime ago. Other times, it feels like yesterday.

Seven-time Olympic medalist and ovarian cancer survivor Shannon Miller almost canceled her regular women’s exam that led to her diagnosis. Now, she is on a mission to remind people of the importance of preventative care.

By Jacqueline Lisk

Before she was a survivor, Miller was a caregiver. Her mother was diagnosed with late-stage cervical cancer in 2008, right before the Summer Olympics. “That moment, my world just stopped. I still kick myself because she had complained of symptoms,” Miller says, explaining that her mom was nervous to go to the doctor because she feared what she might find. Miller’s mother had to undergo surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Miller believes treatment would have been less invasive if doctors had caught the cancer earlier. The experience is part of what inspired her to use her platform to raise awareness of the importance of early detection. “I had women in my life who I watched put their health on the sideline, put it on the back burner because they had other things,” she explains. “They had to focus on kids, family, jobs, and everything else that we all deal with every day. I wanted them to know that it was okay, even a good thing, to focus on their health and that it makes them not only feel better — it sets a great example for those around them.”

Advocacy work with deep roots

In the summer of 2010, Miller — who is the only female athlete to be inducted into the US Olympic Hall of Fame twice (Individual in 2006 and Team in 2008) — launched her company focused on women’s health and began hosting a radio show to encourage everyone to prioritize their health. But that fall, she nearly put off a women’s health exam because she was scheduled to be out of town and busy juggling her career and her family. Her son, Rocco, was just one year old.

Heeding your own advice

Miller’s next step was to meet with an oncologist. She describes the time between appointments as excruciating. “I was a shell of a person. I was going through life and I could barely focus on anything,” she says. “Every time I looked at my son, I wondered if he was going to have a mother.” After her ultrasound, Miller’s oncologist scheduled surgery to remove the cyst. Two weeks after the procedure, they got reports back showing the tumor was higher-grade than they had thought, and she began a “pretty aggressive chemotherapy regimen.” “I continue to be so grateful for my doctor who caught this early during a pelvic exam. There's no test or scan that says, ‘Yes, you've got ovarian cancer,’” Miller explains. “That's why it is so important to get to those regular doctor's appointments and to really pay attention to your body and those signs and symptoms,” she says. For Miller, though she did not recognize her symptoms at first, retrospectively she did realize that she had a few common symptoms that she assumed were post-partum such as stomach pains, weight loss and bloating. Miller says her gymnastics background taught her to be resilient, stay positive, and accept support from her team — all lessons that helped her throughout her cancer treatment. She loves sharing the “gold medal mindset” with others to inspire survivors and their loved ones and bring them solace.

Her way forward

the importance of getting back to care and scheduling annual health exams

Miller uses her platform to raise awareness of the importance of early detection.

“I'm thinking, ‘Hey, I feel fine. I'll get it pushed to next year. We'll figure it out later — it's not a big deal.’ I called up that morning and I was put immediately on hold. It was that moment, and I will never forget the feeling — it was just this weight on my chest. [I realized] I am asking other women to make time for their health and here I am, not walking the walk.” When the receptionist returned, Miller asked to join the waitlist for appointments.“ She said, ‘Oh, that is fantastic because that was a cancellation on the other line. Can you come over now?’” That morning, her doctor found a baseball-sized cyst on her left ovary. Miller describes it as the shock of her life. She didn’t know much about ovarian cancer; in fact, 22,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year. She also didn’t realize she had been experiencing symptoms. Stomach pain, weight loss, bloating, and fatigue were all easy to chalk up to the postpartum process or other women's health challenges. She hadn’t even thought to share these symptoms with her doctor.

Skipped preventative routine check-up

Skipped a test or treatment

Skipped doses or didn't fill prescription

Men

Taking routine health care “off the sidelines”:

15%

23%

10%

Click to toggle bar graph

26%

38%

Women

22,000 women in the US will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer this year

About half of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer are 63 or older

≥ 63 years of age

“As a survivor, I think you can go on and live your life and that’s important, but at the same time, we have this thing in the back of our mind that says, ‘What if it comes back?’ I think that's always there.”

Olympian and former gymnast, Shannon Miller

2017 to 2020, presumably due to access disruptions caused by the pandemic. The KFF Women’s Health Survey found that women were more likely than men to have gone without health care, with 46 percent of women in fair or poor health, and 36 percent of women in good, very good, or excellent health, skipping preventative care during COVID-19. Miller wants people to know that cancer diagnosed at an early stage is often treatable. Early detection is important, and she is sharing her story to encourage people, especially women, to make their own health a priority and schedule their annual exams.

Olympic gymnast Shannon Miller, 1996; PHOTO: DAVE BLACK

This summer marks the 25th anniversary of the 1996 Olympics, and Miller is excited to “cheer those athletes on.” She works as a professional sports commentator and analyst and hosts a variety of shows focused on gymnastics, general health, and cancer awareness. She is also busy with her children, ages 7 and 11, and her partnership with Our Way Forward, an initiative created by GSK to help women with ovarian cancer, their loved ones, and healthcare providers rethink ovarian cancer and how to work together to navigate the physical and emotional challenges brought on by the disease.

Miller acknowledges there are plenty of reasons to put off routine health visits. She has seen many people, including her mother, put off their own health care because they were too busy taking care of others. But prioritizing your health is not selfish, she says. “It is selfless because if we don't have our health, we can't be here for everyone who depends on us.” Moreover, routine health visits are essential for early diagnosis and prevention of more advanced cancers, which may save lives. “I am a good example of that,” Miller says.

Our Way Forward helps women navigating an ovarian cancer diagnosis.

Find support for those facing ovarian cancer