Edmonton firefighter goes from cancer diagnosis to calendar model

An Edmonton Fire Rescue Services captain is using his cancer diagnosis to inspire others and raise awareness about the importance of cancer screening.

Aaron Miller credits the fire department’s yearly physical exam and screening for catching his colon cancer.

He had no symptoms or family history of the disease.

“They took out my whole colon, large intestine and lymph nodes,” he said. “They found cancer in one of the lymph nodes, so I had to go through four rounds of chemotherapy after.”

The surgery and treatment hit him hard, he said. He lost 40 pounds of muscle.

“Walking for 10 minutes felt like harder than climbing a mountain,” he said.

“Standing for more than five minutes … couldn’t do it.”

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Less than a month after his surgery, he returned to the gym.

“I just felt like I needed to get in there and kind of start getting back in shape,” Miller told Global News.

It was Miller’s wife, Georgia, who encouraged him to apply to be a part of the Edmonton Firefighters Burn Treatment Society calendar as a form of redemption after his diagnosis and treatment.

“I remember him going to the gym, even if it was for 15 minutes, and he would say, ‘I lifted 10 pounds today,'” she said.

“Every week I was taking his photo. In the last week, I just broke down in tears seeing what he had done.”

View image in full screen Aaron Miller holds up his wife, Georgia, during a photo shoot for the Edmonton Firefighters Burn Treatment Society. Courtesy: Georgia Miller

Miller said his surgery left him with minimal scars and his surgeons were able to reconstruct his small intestine so he wouldn’t need an ostomy bag.

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In the photos, taken five months after he finished chemotherapy, it’s hard to tell he’s had major abdominal surgery.

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When the calendars became available for sale, Georgia decided to share her husband’s story on social media. They had kept his diagnosis mostly quiet up until then.

Her post went from a few thousand views to more than 10 million.

“I just wanted to share his story as inspiration,” she said. “It’s something he wanted to do to inspire himself, his family and others, and to tell (their daughter) Tilly one day.

“His message has uplifted so many millions of people, and that means the world to us as a family.”

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The family said they’ve received thousands of messages, many from others going through treatment and loved ones of those receiving treatment, sharing how Aaron had inspired them to keep going.

“You can achieve and do anything you want in the most horrible circumstances,” Georgia said.

“You’re the captain of your own ship, you are the driver of your own life — you can accomplish and respond to any hard time in the way you want to.”

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The calendar is more than just muscular members of the Edmonton Fire Department posing for charity.

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Kimberly Wagner, who is on the board of the Edmonton Firefighters Burn Treatment Society, said Miller’s story resonated with her because when she was training to be in the calendar last year, she had just lost her father to cancer.

“I was in a really dark spot, and I needed something to grasp onto to help pull me out of that,” Wagner said. “The calendar ended up being that for me.” 

“It can be something that we need to help push us through whatever we’re going through in that moment and come through on the other end stronger, both physically as well as close to the heart, and I think that’s a really beautiful and powerful thing,” she said.

The calendar is the largest fundraiser for the organization, which raises money and awareness for research, treatment and the recovery of thermal injuries at the University of Alberta Hospital, as well as for the Alberta Fire Fighter Burn Camp, a yearly camp for kids impacted by burns.

Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen Firefighters sign calendars for the ‘Turn Up the Heat’ calendar in support of the Edmonton Firefighter Burn Treatment Society. Courtesy: Georgia Miller

So far, the organization has helped more than 10,000 kids and adults impacted by burns.

“I always say at events and everything, you know, do it for the kids … purchase our calendars for the kids,” Wagner said.

“It’s just really important to show support in any way that you can, and you know if you can’t buy a calendar — you can give donations, you can do other things to show support.”

Miller hopes that his story will not only help to sell calendars but also encourage people to take their health seriously, get tested and advocate for their own health.

“I just looked at it as just a speed bump in life, and I’ll get through it and then we’ll continue living, doing our adventures and having fun,” he said.

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