She still jokes about getting PTSD every time she sees a tan bottle and a mitten.
"It changed my world in an instant," Ms Miller, now 34, said.
"Everything that was a bother, everything that I thought was a worry in my life at that point just completely stopped."
Breast cancer wasn't even on Ms Miller's radar.
The Cancer Council recommends women aged between 50 and 74 have screening mammograms every two years.
Women aged 40 with a family history of cancer can also sign up to get screened.
At 32, Ms Miller fell into neither of those categories.
"For me breast cancer was: 'You can start having a mammogram at 40 so I'll start worrying about it at 40.' It's one of those things that you put in the I'll-think-about-you-later basket," she said.
After two years of treatment, Ms Miller was finally declared cancer-free in February.
But the same treatment that saved her life also irreversibly damaged her body and hijacked her plans for motherhood.
Her current medication, an anti-recurrence drug named tamoxifen she will need to take for five years, has sent Ms Miller into chemically-induced menopause.
Among its side effects – which include mental fog, heat flushes, and fatigue – is also the risk of severe malformations in children, which puts Ms Miller's dreams of falling pregnant on hold.
By the time the effects of the medication wear off, Ms Miller will be able to try for a baby at age 40 but her ovaries, prematurely aged due to chemotherapy, will be akin to those of a 46-year-old.
"I've basically lost 10 years of my life in a way of making plans or doing things," she said.
Far from being out of the woods yet, she is also faced with the tough choice of having her second breast removed, which would give her a higher chance of remaining cancer-free.
But the young Gage Roads Brewing beer rep doesn't sweat the small stuff anymore.
"I just choose to be happy every single day because it's the only way to really be. It's the only way to be vibrant, it's the only way to get nothing really bother you," she said.
"While it was hard, it shows you that your body can get you through anything, but mindset is 90 per cent of the battle. Strip it back to basics. Don't sweat the small stuff. Don't worry about things. Be calm and be happy and you'll just glow in a different way. You just really do.
"If anything, cancer has given me an appreciation for life that I would never have gotten if I didn't go through it. It was a big learning curve for me but I feel very happy with where I'm at with my life."
According to the Cancer Council, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in Australia, and the second-most common cancer to cause death in women.
Modelling from the Australian government predicts 19,807 women will be diagnosed with the disease this year and about 2997 will die.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month runs from October 1-31 every year and encourages women to check their breasts for symptoms and share useful information with family and friends. For more information check the government's Cancer Australia website.
Marta is an award-winning photographer and journalist with a focus on social justice issues and local government.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMipAFodHRwczovL3d3dy53YXRvZGF5LmNvbS5hdS9uYXRpb25hbC93ZXN0ZXJuLWF1c3RyYWxpYS9pLWZvdW5kLW15LWJyZWFzdC1jYW5jZXItZ2V0dGluZy1hLWZha2UtdGFuLWEteW91bmctc2NhcmJvcm91Z2gtd29tYW4tcy1zdG9yeS1vZi1zdXJ2aXZhbC0yMDIwMTAyMC1wNTY2eGEuaHRtbNIBpAFodHRwczovL2FtcC53YXRvZGF5LmNvbS5hdS9uYXRpb25hbC93ZXN0ZXJuLWF1c3RyYWxpYS9pLWZvdW5kLW15LWJyZWFzdC1jYW5jZXItZ2V0dGluZy1hLWZha2UtdGFuLWEteW91bmctc2NhcmJvcm91Z2gtd29tYW4tcy1zdG9yeS1vZi1zdXJ2aXZhbC0yMDIwMTAyMC1wNTY2eGEuaHRtbA?oc=5
2020-10-26 22:12:00Z
CBMipAFodHRwczovL3d3dy53YXRvZGF5LmNvbS5hdS9uYXRpb25hbC93ZXN0ZXJuLWF1c3RyYWxpYS9pLWZvdW5kLW15LWJyZWFzdC1jYW5jZXItZ2V0dGluZy1hLWZha2UtdGFuLWEteW91bmctc2NhcmJvcm91Z2gtd29tYW4tcy1zdG9yeS1vZi1zdXJ2aXZhbC0yMDIwMTAyMC1wNTY2eGEuaHRtbNIBpAFodHRwczovL2FtcC53YXRvZGF5LmNvbS5hdS9uYXRpb25hbC93ZXN0ZXJuLWF1c3RyYWxpYS9pLWZvdW5kLW15LWJyZWFzdC1jYW5jZXItZ2V0dGluZy1hLWZha2UtdGFuLWEteW91bmctc2NhcmJvcm91Z2gtd29tYW4tcy1zdG9yeS1vZi1zdXJ2aXZhbC0yMDIwMTAyMC1wNTY2eGEuaHRtbA
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