“I have what? Are you sure?” At a loud, busy restaurant in the middle of having an impromptu lunch with her husband Alvin, she recalled her first reaction to getting the call that changed her life.

Romona Miller, junior principal, was diagnosed with non-invasive Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) breast cancer in June 2013. Non invasive is when the cancer does not grow into or invade normal tissues within or beyond the breast. The cancer was in her left side and has since been removed. Miller is currently cancer-free.

“The hardest part was just to accept the fact that you have cancer,” Romona said. “I cried. I was angry. I was afraid. Waiting to hear the details of [the cancer] caused a lot of fear.”

The cancer was first suspected during Romona’s yearly mammogram. She then went to a cancer specialist where the diagnosis was confirmed. She scheduled a lumpectomy immediately in order to be able to return to school on the first day of the 2013-2014 school year. A lumpectomy is a surgical procedure to remove a discrete lump from an affected woman or man’s breast.

“The downtime was difficult for me because I missed the first part of getting ready for the school year,” Romona said. “[The cancer] is so mental, it is knowing that someone is telling you that you are sick and you have to slow down. I am a very spiritual person. I have a very strong faith and I drew upon that.”

Romona said her family was a crucial part of helping her stay positive during that time. She turned to them and co-workers for support.

“It took a lot of strength [for my mom], but each day she was motivated,” Ariel Miller, senior and Romona’s daughter, said. “She took each one day at a time. I learned not to take people for granted because anything can happen. This experience helped make my family closer.”

Romona went on to receive radiation treatment which ended Nov. 15. The cancer was caught at Stage 0, so chemotherapy was not necessary. Stage 0 means the cancer was confined to the ducts of the breast and had not moved outward into the lymph nodes.

“She works harder than anybody. [When I found out] I was heartbroken for her and her family. I was very amazed at how she handled it. She was here, she was still working hard. It was amazing,” Julie Constant, junior class secretary, said.

Romona is currently taking a chemo drug, Tamoxifen,which she will take for five years. In addition to meeting with doctors and being tested to see if the cancer is genetically linked.

She is still recovering from the surgery due to the healing of the cuts. Romona notices a few minor side effects of the medicine. Hot flashes and lack of energy are the most prominent.

“With breast cancer you’re always wondering [if you will] get it in the other breast, or if it will come back,” Romona said. “I think I have become the mammogram poster child. If I hadn’t gone in for that, this could have been a total different story. We have to be mindful of that.”