CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) -- Not many people can say their son plays in the NBA. While beaming with pride in this year's NBA Draft Night, a Charlotte Hornets mom was suffering in silence. Yolanda Miller, mother of Hornets player Brandon Miller said, "Life was good. No complaints, health-wise. My kids were living their dream."
Miller's shocking cancer diagnosis came in January of last year.
"January 2023 came, and as I go through my normal day, take a shower, get out of the shower, dry off, I feel something wet on my arm. I just was looking around to see where it was coming from. As I looked down, there was discharge of what looked like blood," Miller said.
She shared the news with her high school sweetheart and husband of 33 years, Darryl.
"I panicked as anyone would because my thought process was I just had a mammogram, and I just got my results," Miller explained.
She went to the doctor and said, "Once the probe hit that area, the blood really kind of flowed everywhere."
"My husband and I, we cried about it. We tried to figure out, you know, how we're going to tell the kids, it's not a good time to tell the kids right now," Miller said.
Her oldest son, Darryl Jr., was planning a wedding, her daughter was in grad school, and Brandon's basketball career was flourishing at the University of Alabama.
My plan was to go through whatever I needed to go through, and everything was going to be good. They would never have to know," she said. "I got the results back, and was told that I had intraductal carcinoma or stage 0, non-invasive, meaning that the cancer was just in the breast."
Miller went on to say, "You go through all the emotions. You go from being seriously scared, being mad, being just upset."
While trying to keep her pain hidden -- one of Yolanda's children had suspicions.
"My daughter, Britney, she knew something [was up]. She knew. She's that little private detective," Miller said.
Downplaying everything, they still kept the news silent.
"It didn't register at the time. When he said the hospital, I was like okay. And maybe he gave me one of the answers I gave. You know, how is practice? It's good. A little assurance and I said OK. And, then I called my sister and brother in group chat, and they didn't answer. And I was like, that's pretty strange," Brandon Miller said.
After the surgery, Yolanda was riding high but that hope of being cancer-free fell short.
"They didn't get it all. Keep in mind, I'm going through my normal [life], going to the basketball games," she said.
Yolanda finally broke the emotional news and it came at a pivotal time.
"I went through one lumpectomy after their last basketball game. We decided to go ahead and tell him. At that point, we were already talking about he was going to enter into the NBA Draft and not go back to Alabama," she said.
The next few months were critical. After the second surgery and a double mastectomy, Yolanda was finally cancer-free.
She recalls the night of the NBA Draft when she heard her son's name called to join the Charlotte Hornets.
"I remember that night like it was yesterday," Miller said.
Her joy was back. Although the stitches from her surgery were still fresh, she couldn't lift her arms but celebrated with soft hugs.
"I can't even explain how happy, how excited I am, that, man, there's a one in how many that make it to the NBA, and my son is that one," she proudly said.
Looking back, Yolanda now sees her story was not just about survival. "Breast cancer doesn't have to be viewed as a death sentence," she said.
But a testimony to other moms so they can see their children's dreams can come true.
"You know, when your kids are living their dream, you can't be anymore happier than watching that," Miller said.