Ep. 182 – What We Don’t Talk About in Cancer Rehab

Today, on TheOncoPT podcast, we are talking with Gaby Miller from ACE Cancer Rehab. Gaby is one of my favorite people on the planet. In this episode, we talk about why Gaby decided to open her own practice. ACE Cancer Rehab is named after important people that have inspired, guided, and supported her throughout her journey.

Gaby really opens up and becomes very vulnerable about the sadness of losing patients. As PTs, we get so close to these patients and it’s sometimes really hard to deal with the tragedy. It’s hard to put into words. We forget about taking care of ourselves. Gaby’s therapist has recommended taking periodic time off so that she can rejuvenate and be the best she can for her patients. 

I also get really personal and talk about my journey with my practice. I have learned that “you can’t pour from an empty cup”. If you’re drained, you cannot give of yourself to others like you want to. 

One of the ways Gaby works on her mental health is therapy. She’s found that getting it out is so important to her journey. She also hired her first Virtual Assistant. 

I love this podcast so much because we really peel back the layers. We are both very vulnerable. And I hope that we show it’s ok for everything not to be perfect all the time. Sometimes it’s like “man, I lost another patient this week, and I’m just really messed up”. I’m thankful we were able to talk about this because this is something that we as a society, culture, healthcare works, physical therapists don’t talk about enough. 

“We have got to take care of ourselves, protect our time, protect our sanity, protect our health, protect our wellness to be able to actually serve the people that we want to serve.” – Elise

About Gaby

My name is Gabriela Miller. I am a licensed Physical Therapist originally from Costa Rica. I moved to KC 8  years ago with the purpose of furthering my education and career in Oncology Rehabilitation. 

My passion for this particular area of physical therapy began 16 years ago when my younger sister, Ericka, lost  her battle to cancer. 

ACE Cancer Rehab is named after important people that have inspired, guided, and supported me throughout  my journey: 

A – stands for Alexander Goodwin, a British boy who became my first pediatric cancer patient. When I first  treated him, I discovered, coincidentally, that he had the same type of cancer, in the same leg and was the same age as my sister Ericka. 

C – stands for Cristian, my brother-in-law, who lost his battle to cancer. 

E – is for Ericka, my beloved sister. 

Although survivors have beaten cancer, many of them have faced poor outcomes due to the many side effects  affecting their quality of life. Research shows that more than 60% of cancer patients or survivors develop side  effects after treatment. Only 2% of these patients are referred to physical therapy to treat their impairments. 

Our model: Individualized and goal-centered approach to manage any cancer symptoms or side effects caused  by surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and or targeted therapies. 

My passion: To educate and help patients and survivors live the life they want to live despite the treatment induced side effects. 

I lost my youngest sister to cancer and became an oncology physical therapist in her honor. I now have a clinic  that focuses only on treating the side effects of cancer and its treatments. 

I have turned loss, grief and pain into hope, grit, and gratitude…

Please follow her on Instagram @the_cancer_physio