Abby Lee Miller, 55, was seen moving around the Santa Monica beach in her wheelchair on Tuesday (Aug. 31), over three years after she had emergency spinal surgery. The Dance Moms alum was pictured maneuvering through the sand in her wheelchair while soaking up the California sun. At one point, Abby Lee even leaned way back in her chair as a fit male gymnast did an incredible flip right over the former reality star. WATCH THAT MOMENT HERE.
For the beach trip, Abby Lee was dressed in a black and neon green T-shirt from her Abby Lee Dance Company, black sweatpants, and aqua-colored Nike sneakers. She also sported a green headband that matched the logo on her shirt. Abby Lee seemed to be in relatively good spirits and was seen chatting it up with other beachgoers, including the shirtless man who did those wild flips over her.
Abby Lee has been bound to a wheelchair since undergoing spinal surgery in April 2018, after doctors found a mass infection putting pressure on her spine and causing her severe pain. After the surgery, the famed dance teacher learned that she had Burkitt lymphoma diagnosis, a rare form of cancer. But thankfully, Abby Lee’s cancer eventually went into remission. “The cancer is completely gone,” she told PEOPLE in May 2019. “I’m more grateful. I’m thankful.”
While her cancer battle is behind her, Abby Lee is still unable to walk in the wake of her spinal surgery. When she sat down with Dr. Hooman Melamed for an interview with ET in February 2021, Abby Lee revealed she sometimes wishes she wouldn’t have survived the procedure. “This is weird but there are days that I wish that I would’ve died,” she admitted. “I know there’s people out there fighting every day for their lives, yes, but it’s been rough. It’s not easy to live in a wheelchair. It’s not easy, especially in California. It’s very difficult to be handicapped … that’s why I need to walk,” she added.
