In June of 2014, Midori Miller was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was 42 years old.

When Midori first heard the news, she was shocked, confused, and scared. All her life, she had done things on her own, establishing herself as a strong woman… but in the moment of her diagnosis, she knew she needed to tell someone.

And so, feeling alone and frightened, Midori summoned the courage to tell her children. To this day, she is so thankful she did. She says that telling her kids was one of the biggest obstacles she had to face during her battle with cancer, partially because she didn’t know how they would react. Midori’s children were really scared, but become part of the support system that Midori leaned on during the next year.

As Midori began to fight, the first step was surgery to remove the cancer. Afterward, she endured six months of chemotherapy and four months of radiation.
Midori had always had really long hair, but because of the chemo, it began falling out. She finally decided to cut it off and began wearing wigs.
According to Midori, “After a while, I stopped wearing wigs and would go out without them. You have to realize that people are gonna say what they’re gonna say.”

Since the chemo and radiation, Midori’s cancer has been in recession. She’s feeling good but continues to pray that it doesn’t come back on the other side.

When asked about what gave her hope during her battle, Midori claims that “My kids and my grandkids… I knew I had to get through it for them.”

As for anyone who has recently been diagnosed with cancer, Midori has some advice for you.
She says, “Find support systems to contact… It might take a while, but you can do it. And never give up hope. I wouldn’t have thought I could make, and I probably wouldn’t have gone to my appointments and would have given up if I didn’t have a support system.”

Lastly, Midori says that the biggest thing someone can do in this situation is to never give up hope or faith because that’s half the battle.

Central Rent 2 Own is honored to have customers like Midori Miller and is grateful that she is willing to share about her battle with cancer to help other fighters find hope.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. If you would like more information about how you can join the cause to help women in need, go to https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/.