Olympic Gold Medalist, Shannon Miller, shares her story on All Talk Oncology podcast 5 Dec 2024 8:14 AM (3 months ago)
All Talk Oncology empowers cancer patients through insightful conversations that reinforce confidence and clarity about their condition. We transform fear into action by equipping patients with the knowledge they need to take control of their treatments and collaborate effectively with their medical team.
In our latest episode, we ask: What can an Olympic gold medalist teach us about resilience and grace in the face of cancer? Shannon Miller, 7 time Olympic Medalist, shares her journey from Olympic glory to battling ovarian cancer. Her story highlights powerful lessons on discipline, teamwork, humility, and the transformative choice to embrace joy during life’s toughest moments.
YouTube link: https://youtu.be/HmSYMw5tBhQ?si=6BWvO2kfEu9Cwv6h
Podbean link: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-dmfjv-1742310
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Olympian Shannon Miller Champions Ovarian Cancer Awareness 1 Oct 2024 9:08 AM (6 months ago)
The seven-time Olympic medalist and ovarian cancer survivor shares her story and advice for those enduring similar struggles.
Shannon, an ovarian cancer survivor, is excited to partner with Mediaplanet on their Ovarian Cancer Awareness campaign. Usually found at an advanced stage, ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecologic cancer in part because it is difficult to detect early. Join us in educating everyone on the signs, symptoms and risk factors, while supporting those affected. Together, we can make a difference!!
Click HERE for full insert from USA Today and HERE for full articles.
Interview with Shannon:
Why is it more important than ever to educate women about ovarian cancer?
It’s important to educate women about ovarian cancer because all too often it’s caught at a later stage. Early detection saves lives and gives us more options. However, if we don’t know the signs and symptoms like I didn’t before my own diagnosis, we ignore seemingly benign issues like stomach aches, bloating, sudden weight loss, feeling full after eating a small amount of food (known as early satiety), and frequent urination. I also hope that the men in our lives learn the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer. We’re all part of the team when it comes to our health and fighting ovarian cancer.
What was it like being diagnosed with a rare form of ovarian cancer?
It was at a routine appointment — one that I had almost canceled — when my doctor discovered a baseball-sized cyst on my left ovary during a pelvic exam. Initially, we had no idea what specifically we were dealing with. Was it benign? Would it go away on its own? Was it cancer? If so, had it spread? My world stopped. As a new mother, my biggest fear was that my son wouldn’t have a mother.
Over the next several weeks, I went through various tests and scans that eventually led to surgery to remove the mass. After the surgery, I learned it was a rare form of ovarian cancer, but they had caught it early. However, I would need to go through an aggressive form of chemotherapy to give me the best chance of non-recurrence.
During this journey, I’ve felt every emotion: fear, confusion, sadness, gratefulness, uncertainty, and so many others. I still have a difficult time understanding how I didn’t know that there was something this significant inside me. Once I began to recover from chemotherapy, I wanted to use any voice I had to help bring awareness to ovarian cancer — the importance of early detection, research, and survivorship.
What do you want to say to newly diagnosed women?
You are not alone. I think that may be one of the most important things to remember, and sometimes it’s hard to remember. Early on, I felt the need to do this myself. I didn’t want to be a burden or complain and make others uncomfortable. However, through the process, I learned a very important lesson: There is strength in not only accepting help when offered but also in asking for help when needed. You are not alone.
What resources are available that you wish more women knew about?
Get to know and love your nurse navigators! They are there to navigate your care by providing you with answers about your diagnosis and treatment. They coordinate your care by helping to get timely appointments, connect you with support services, and offer emotional support during this difficult time. They also have access to local support groups and foundations. Foundations provide services to help ease the burden patients often feel. Some of the services they provide are transportation assistance by donating gas cards, emotional support through support groups for not only the patient but also their caregivers, and donating supplies that often reduce the side effects of treatment.
What is the biggest challenge surrounding ovarian cancer?
Early detection is still a huge challenge. Women may not feel any physical symptoms until the cancer has progressed. That’s why, until there is a specific test for early detection, it’s critical to pay attention to your body and to keep your regular exams and screenings. Most importantly, be aware of the signs and symptoms, and feel confident to speak up when something feels off with your body.
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Self Magazine Cover Story 2024 17 Jul 2024 4:06 AM (8 months ago)
Dominique Moceanu, Shannon Miller, and Dominique Dawes Take a Victory Lap
After winning gold in Atlanta as teenagers, three iconic gymnasts reflect on 1996, their influence on women’s sports, and their hopes for the next generation of female athletes.
On July 23, 1996, seven teenage gymnasts in red, white, and blue leotards and matching white scrunchies marched into the Georgia Dome. It was the Olympic women’s gymnastics team final, and as soon as the USA placard appeared, the crowd of more than 30,000 spectators roared. The thundering cheers were deafening as captain Amanda Borden led her team to their position by the uneven bars. The royal blue duffle bags on their shoulders were almost as big as the athletes themselves.
Borden, Dominique Dawes, Shannon Miller, Dominique Moceanu, Kerri Strug, Amy Chow, and Jaycie Phelps were touted as the best American women’s gymnastics team ever assembled. Dawes, Miller, and Strug had all competed at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, where Miller won five medals—the most of any American at those Games. Borden offered steadfast leadership. Chow was as solid and consistent as they come. And the younger athletes, who Miller affectionately refers to as “the whippersnappers”? They had so much energy.
They were the country’s best hope for its first Olympic team gold in women’s gymnastics. They were the Magnificent Seven.
Read full story at https://www.self.com/story/1996-olympic-gymnasts-reunion
By Christine Yu
Photography by Nadya Wasylko
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Shannon announces InfiniteFlipsBox.com, a clothing rental subscription service! 12 Mar 2024 10:25 AM (last year)
Shannon Miller announces a new venture; InfiniteFlipsBox.com, a clothing rental subscription service, with many of your favorite brands! Life is demanding. Most of us wear so many hats (and outfits) each day we’ve stopped counting.
Shannon shares, “Whether it’s work, play, kids, meetings, a night out, or the million other things we accomplish each day, we want to bring our A game. We want to look good, feel good and be prepared…for anything.”
And, yes, part of that is dressing for the occasion. But we don’t need to break the bank to do it.
About InfiniteFlipsBox.com
- Affordable: Get unlimited box exchanges all month for one low price
- Convenient: Enjoy free shipping and returns and cancel online anytime (really)
- Options: Access hundreds of styles on rotation
- Experimentation: Have fun with the latest styles, colors and trends.
- Flexibility: Personalize your plan based on your lifestyle.
- Live with Less: Buy less but wear more! Access unlimited styles without the closet clutter.
Shannon shares “I love that the InfiniteFlipsBox.com allows us to rotate our wardrobe to fit whatever life demands and do it for the fraction of the cost! For less than a pair of jeans, you can get multiple outfits each month! Wear it for as long as you like and return it when you’re finished. A new box will be shipped immediately. Or if you fall in love with a certain item, you can purchase the item for often 80-90% off.”
And unlike other rental services you get items that YOU add to your online closet.
“I’ve had a ball trying new things and the best part for me is, I get to send it back. There’s no clutter, I’m not finding clothes in my closet that I don’t wear anymore. If I don’t like it, it goes back, and they immediately send me another box.”
Check it out at InfiniteFlipsBox.com and grab that free trial so you can see how it works!
#poweredbyhaveredash
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Sports Spectacular to honor seven-time Olympic medalist Shannon Miller 12 Mar 2024 9:45 AM (last year)
www.ocusports.com
Seven-time Olympic medalist, and Oklahoma icon, Shannon Miller, will be the recipient of the 2024 Abe Lemons/Paul Hansen Award for Sports Excellence, to be given at the OCU Sports Spectacular on April 3rd.
The event will take place at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, and feature a silent and live auction, dinner, and presentation of the award to Shannon Miller.
The Lemons/Hansen Award is given each year to an Oklahoman who, like coaches Abe Lemons and Paul Hansen, have significantly contributed to the growth of sports in Oklahoma. Miller joins a distinguished group of past winners, including Clay Bennett, Barry Switzer, Bobby Murcer, Bill Self, Sam Presti, and Scott Verplank, among others.
Miller competed in two Olympic games (1992, 1996) and was the first U.S. gymnast to win back-to-back World All-Around titles. Her tally of five medals at the 1992 Olympics was the most won by a U.S. athlete in any sport, and was followed up by the 1996 women’s gymnastics team, the “Magnificent Seven,” winning the first-ever team gold medal. Miller was also America’s first-ever gold medalist on the balance beam.
“We are delighted to have a true Oklahoma legend as our Abe Lemons/Paul Hansen award recipient,” said OCU Director of Athletics Corey Bray. “The list of honorees for this prestigious award is a whos-who not only in Oklahoma, but the entire sports world. Shannon Miller is among the very best who have been selected, and we are so appreciative of what she has done for our state.”
For more information and registration, please visit the event page at ocusports.com. Please direct all questions about the 2024 Sports Spectacular to Chris Maxon, associate athletic director for external affairs – camaxon@okcu.edu or 405-208-5431
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Shannon Miller inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame! 19 Dec 2023 9:36 AM (last year)
The Class of 2023 includes:
- Leroy Butler, football
- Vince Carter, basketball
- Greg Coleman, football
- Tom Coughlin, football coach
- Ashlyn Harris, soccer
- Jeff Johnson, baseball coach
- Elaine Larsen, jet car driver
- Shannon Miller, gymnastics
“This induction is incredibly special because it focuses, not only on sports achievements, but also on community involvement and those things that we go on to do long after our sports careers have ended.” – Shannon Miller
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‘I Woke up From Surgery To Find Out I Had a Rare Form of Ovarian Cancer’: Olympic Gold Medalist Shannon Miller Shares Her Journey 6 Jul 2023 1:05 PM (last year)
Photo Memory Jade
Leigh Weingus June 29, 2023
“There were two portions of my journey,” (Shannon) says. “There was the lead-up to surgery, which they call the ‘wait-and-observe’ period, which is excruciating. Because there are so many questions and so few answers. And here I was—I had been this elite athlete, my job was to know exactly what was going on with my body at all times. My body was the tool that I used to quite literally become the best in the world at something.”
For that reason, Miller said, having this “thing” in her body that she didn’t understand was extremely challenging: “That was so difficult mentally, psychologically. And then after that came the diagnosis, which was diagnosed at one stage first and then had a higher malignancy.”
Once she started doing chemotherapy, Miller found she was faced with both a mental and a physical challenge. “I am so thankful for other women out there who gave me hope, who reached out to me and said, ‘You can do this. Take it one step at a time.’ I got so much great advice.”
Read Full Article at https://parade.com/health/shannon-miller-ovarian-cancer
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Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month: Olympic Gymnast Shannon Miller on Her Journey With Ovarian Cancer 20 Sep 2022 5:05 PM (2 years ago)
By Alisa Williams
https://getmegiddy.com/hope-for-the-future/shannon-miller
In this exclusive Q&A, the gold medalist discusses the importance of community.
The world sat riveted during the 1996 Olympic Games as Shannon Miller and her teammates, nicknamed “the Magnificent Seven,” made history by winning the first-ever Olympic gold medal for the U.S. women’s gymnastics team. During those games, Miller also won gold on the balance beam, Team USA’s first individual women’s gymnastics Olympic gold since 1984.
She earned seven Olympic medals during her career and is tied with Simone Biles as the most decorated U.S. female gymnast in Olympics history.
But Miller’s toughest challenge was still to come.
In 2011, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, the most deadly of the gynecological cancers. In this exclusive interview with Giddy for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, Miller discusses her ovarian cancer diagnosis, treatment and recovery, and what it’s like to be cancer-free for more than a decade.
She also talks about her partnership with Our Way Forward, an ovarian cancer resource and story-sharing platform that hopes to encourage “women living with ovarian cancer, their loved ones and healthcare providers to rethink how they talk about ovarian cancer and ways to work together to navigate the physical and emotional challenges that the disease brings,” according to its mission statement.
Lastly, Miller describes the importance of being surrounded by a community of support throughout the entirety of the journey, including post-treatment, when survivors can often feel the most alone.
Tell us how you found out you had ovarian cancer.
Miller: My cancer journey began with a doctor’s visit that I almost canceled.
I was already involved with women’s health and advocating about the importance of focusing on our personal health, whether it’s fitness, nutrition, sleep or getting to our regular doctor’s appointments. So, I admit, wanting to “walk the walk” played a part in getting me to that appointment; one that saved my life.
My doctor found a baseball-sized cyst on my left ovary which snowballed into weeks of tests and scans. By January 2011, I was waking up from surgery to find out it was a rare form of ovarian cancer. The good news was that they caught it early. However, it was a higher-grade malignancy than they initially thought, and I then went through an aggressive chemotherapy regimen which would give me the best chance of nonrecurrence.
How did you juggle being a parent to a toddler with the ups and downs of recovery?
Read full article at: https://getmegiddy.com/hope-for-the-future/shannon-miller
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Shannon Miller hosts “Gymnastics Countdown” on ESPN which debuts March 28 6 Apr 2022 6:40 AM (2 years ago)
Olympians Shannon Miller, Samantha Peszek, John Roethlisberger with legendary collegiate coach DD Breaux and Olympic coach Jess Graba preview upcoming women’s NCAA Regional Championships
LOS ANGELES, Calif., March 28, 2022 – Seven-time Olympic medalist Shannon Miller, Olympic silver-medalist and NCAA all-around champion Samantha Peszek, and three-time Olympian and NCAA champion John Roethlisberger join decorated collegiate coach D-D Breaux and Olympic coach Jess Graba on the new preview show for the upcoming NCAA Regional Championships for women’s collegiate gymnastics, “Gymnastics Countdown presented by OZONE.” The 30-minute program provides a preview and analysis of the teams expected to compete in the upcoming regional and national championships. “Gymnastics Countdown” debuts tonight at 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU with three encore presentations. A second “Gymnastics Countdown presented by OZONE” will air on April 10 at 6 p.m. ET with four encore presentations prior to the NCAA National Championships.
Miller, leader of the Magnificent 7 and a seven-time Olympic and World gold medalist, hosts the round table. Roethlisberger, a three-time NCAA all-around champion and Nissen Award recipient, and Peszek, a 2008 Olympic team silver medalist and NCAA all-around and two-time balance beam champion, give insights on the teams and athletes heading into regionals and then the finals. Both Roethlisberger and Peszek are part of the ESPN commentator crew for its coverage of the women’s collegiate season. Breaux, a nine-time SEC Gymnastics Coach of the Year and head gymnastics coach for Louisiana State University for 42 years, and Graba, one of the 2020 U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Olympic Team coaches and personal coach of Suni Lee (the 2020 Olympic all-around champion and Auburn University gymnast), provide a coach’s perspective.
Tonight’s show was shot at Neville Arena, home of the Auburn women’s gymnastics team. Neville Arena is one of four host sites for this year’s NCAA Regional Championships.
“I’m thrilled to host ‘Gymnastics Countdown,’ a preview show devoted to sharing the best of NCAA gymnastics,” said Miller, a commentator and 16-time Olympic and World medalist. “It is fantastic to see college gymnastics explode in recent years. There is more opportunity, more difficulty in routines, more Olympians entering the mix, record crowds and a lot of fun! Whether you’re a steadfast fan or new to the sport, we’ll breakdown this intense competition in a way that will have everyone on their feet for these incredible student-athletes.”
“On ‘Gymnastics Countdown,’ we share our thoughts and perspectives heading into the Regional Championships and then before the National Championships,” said Roethlisberger. “We appreciate the Tigers’ allowing us to shoot the show during one of their training sessions at Neville Arena and set the stage for competition later this week. I think this may be the first televised show of this type for women’s collegiate gymnastics and believe ‘Gymnastics Countdown’ is something fans have wanted for a long time. This has been one of the greatest seasons of women’s collegiate gymnastics, and it’s fun to be part of the show that is an exciting end to an amazing season.
Breaux, who retired as LSU’s coach in 2020, said, “I think so many collegiate programs this season are on the big stage – live national TV coverage, large crowds of 9,000-15,000 in stands, and other national coverage. Now is the perfect time to make this commitment to NCAA women’s gymnastics. Fans will learn more about what to expect while they follow their favorite team or gymnast progress to the nationals. We talk about the process and what fans can expect to see happen in all four NCAA Regionals and ultimately the finals.”
The “Gymnastics Countdown” schedule for the encore presentations are March 29, 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., March 30, 9 p.m., and March 31, 7:30 p.m.; and April 11-13, 6 p.m., and April 14, 7 p.m. All times are Eastern.
“Ozone Leotards is proud to provide competitive and training apparel for all gymnastics levels,” said Mike Martinez, Ozone’s CEO. “Women’s collegiate gymnastics is a vital and significant part of the gymnastics family, and we welcomed the presenting sponsor opportunity for this insightful fan programming to preview collegiate gymnastics’ regional and national championships.”
The Regional Championships are scheduled for March 31-April 2. In addition to Auburn, Ala., the other regional sites are Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle, Wash., and Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, N.C. Each region has nine teams. At each site, the first round is Wednesday, March 30, the second round on Thursday, March 31, and the regional final is Saturday, April 2. The National Championships are April 14-16 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. For more information, go to ncaa.com/sports/gymnastics-women.
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Olympic Gymnast Shannon Miller Talks Women’s Health, Her Cancer Diagnosis and Simone Biles. 4 Aug 2021 9:25 AM (3 years ago)
By Kate Hogan with People Magazine
In 1996, Shannon Miller was a household name, winning two gold medals at the Atlanta Olympics after scoring two silver and three bronze at the Barcelona games four years prior.
But by 2011, her name was in the news for a different reason: she’d been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, after her doctor found a baseball-sized cyst on her left ovary.
“I was very vigilant about my health as an athlete,” Miller, now 44 and cancer-free, tells PEOPLE. “My body was the tool I used to become the best in the world at something. But I lost that sense of listening to my body and focusing on it along the way.”
The wake-up call prompted Miller to join forces with Ascension, encouraging women to advocate for themselves at doctors’ appointments — and actually get out the door and go to those checkups.
“I think it’s important for women to know it’s not selfish to make your health a priority,” she explains. “If we aren’t healthy, we can’t be here for those who depend on us. So that means getting back to our regular screenings and exams, and getting a doctor you feel very comfortable with to have that open dialogue and communication.”
Miller recalls telling her doctor she “felt fine” at the appointment that uncovered her cancer diagnosis, “forgetting about the bloating, the stomach pains, the sudden weight loss,” she shares. “I went in there thinking, ‘How fast can I get out?’ ”
Continue story HERE
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