Grant McArthur medical reporter A MAN who amazed doctors and overcame a remarkable seven battles with different cancers has died while trying to fight his eighth.
Don Miller became a medical marvel after beating testicle cancer, two different breast cancers, nipple cancer, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer and cancer of the head over the past 44 years.
The 70-year-old grandfather was not able to overcome a recurrence of his eighth cancer neuro endocrine cancer related to the prostate cancer he first fought in 1999 and the former Victorian died in Cairns on January 16.
Mr Miller ’s wife of 43 years, Kay, is still amazed by the spirit he showed in never letting cancer get in the way of living his life, inspiring other patients and allowing cancer doctors and researchers to learn much about the disease.
"We had such a wonderful marriage that together we were sort of invincible," she said.
"He was able to motivate other people, to say it ’s just like having a limp, you can live with it ’.
"We ’ve gone from cancer and no marriage to a wonderful 43 years of marriage, two children and three grandchildren, so how blessed have we been? "He attributed a lot of his survival in his confidence in Peter Mac it didn ’t matter what he had or where we were, we had to go to Peter Mac because he just had the confidence that they had the recipe for success." When he was first diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1964, the couple were warned against marrying because they would never be able to have children. A year later they married and Mr Miller later fathered Michelle and Samuel.
After beating testicular cancer, Mr Miller remained healthy until 1997 when he was diagnosed with breast cancer, followed by several unrelated cancers, which drew the attention of gene researchers as much for his success in overcoming cancer as suffering from it.
While receiving treatment at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre last March, Mr Miller said the love of his wife and the professionalism of his doctors were the secret to his longevity.
"I ’m unlucky in the context of getting the cancers, but I ’m lucky in my ability to fight them," Mr Miller said.
"The relationship I have with my wife is a great motivator, just to spend more years, and that keeps me going.
You realise that one day it is probably going to get you, but you don ’t know which one it is going to be. I thought it was going to be pancreatic cancer." After moving to Cairns eight years ago, Mr Miller continued to come to Peter Mac for treatment.
Herald Sun,
Melabourne,Australia
After 44 years and seven different cancers Miracle man’s battle ends
