Dance Moms’ Abby Lee Miller shares shocking photo of object she claims surgeons left in her body for FOUR years in new lawsuit
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Dance Moms star Abby Lee Miller has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit after she claimed she discovered that doctors left a catheter inside her following spinal surgery in 2020.
The reality TV star, 59, ‘suffered for years’ with doctors unable to ‘diagnose the source of her pain,’ her attorney, Nadine Lewis, exclusively told DailyMail.com in a statement on Tuesday.
Four years after her spinal surgery in September of 2020, the dance instructor claims she discovered that a catheter had been left inside her abdomen, according to the lawsuit.
In her lawsuit, Miller — who was recently snubbed by an A-list pop star — shared a graphic photo of what she alleges in the complaint is ‘the outline of a foreign blue object embedded beneath her skin, surrounded by scar tissue.’
She also included a photo of the ‘retained catheter’ after it was removed following ‘an emergency procedure.’
Miller is suing Cedars-Sinai Marina Hospital, Dr. Hooman Melamed, M.D., and. Dr. Paul Dwan, M.D. for medical malpractice, professional negligence and medical battery. She is seeking damages in the amount of $430,000.
A spokesperson for Cedars-Sinai told DailyMail.com in a statement: ‘Cedars-Sinai cannot comment on pending legal matters. Also, due to federal and state privacy laws, Cedars-Sinai cannot discuss any patient’s medical treatment.’
Dance Moms star Abby Lee Miller, 59, has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit after she claimed she discovered that doctors left a catheter inside her following spinal surgery in 2020
‘However, the care and safety of our patients, staff and visitors are always Cedars-Sinai’s top priorities. We are dedicated to ensuring that we meet the highest standards of care for all those we serve.’
As per the lawsuit, Miller suffered a severe spinal cord injury in 2018 due to Burkitt Lymphoma, an aggressive and fast-growing cancer, which rendered her paraplegic with a neurogenic bladder.
In 2020 she underwent spinal surgery at Cedars-Sinai Marina Hospital to treat a condition known as Spondylolisthesis.
Spondylolisthesis is a spinal condition where one of the vertebrae slips out of its proper position.
She claims in the lawsuit that the surgery was performed by both Dr. Melamed and Dr. Dwan.
She then underwent a second surgery, performed by the same surgical team, in November 2020, as part of her ongoing treatment, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit states that in the months and years that followed, ‘Miller repeatedly reported ongoing abdominal pain and discomfort to multiple physicians, including defendants.’
Miller claims various physicians ‘systemically dismissed her chronic pain and let her suffer for years.’
Miller claims in the complaint that ‘Dr. Melamed, in particular, attributed her symptoms to post-surgical scar tissue and offered no further investigation, no imaging was ordered, including a failure to examine the site of the pain.’
In her lawsuit, Miller shared a graphic photo of what she alleges in the complaint is ‘the outline of a foreign blue object embedded beneath her skin, surrounded by scar tissue’ (L). She also included a photo of the ‘retained catheter’ after it was removed (R)
The reality TV star ‘suffered for years’ with doctors unable to ‘diagnose the source of her pain,’ her attorney, Nadine Lewis, exclusively told DailyMail.com in a statement on Tuesday; Miller seen in a still from Dance Moms
Miller claims in the complaint that various physicians ‘systemically dismissed her chronic pain and let her suffer for years’; Pictured in 2022 in North Hollywood
Miller ‘repeatedly reported ongoing abdominal pain and discomfort to multiple physicians,’ according to her complaint. ‘Despite her consistent and persistent complaints, her concerns were dismissed.’
‘As a paraplegic woman with a life sentence in a wheelchair, Abby lives with daily pain in the aftermath of her Burkitt Lymphoma diagnosis.’
Despite her complaints to ‘various physicians’, not one of them ordered imaging to locate and diagnose the source of her pain, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit goes on to allege that by 2024, Miller’s ‘abdominal discomfort had escalated into persistent and debilitating pain, impacting her quality of life on a daily basis.’
In June 2024, while seeking care for an unrelated issue at St. John’s Hospital, a doctor applied pressure to Miller’s abdomen causing her to ‘scream very loudly in pain’ according to her complaint.
‘The affected area of the skin immediately became red, inflamed, and visibly irritated,’ as per the lawsuit.
Four years after her spinal surgery, Abby discovered that her ‘surgeons had left a bright blue catheter inside her abdomen,’ according to her complaint.
After a dermatologist examined the inflamed area and took a photograph, it ‘revealed the outline of a foreign blue object embedded beneath her skin, surrounded by scar tissue’ states her complaint.
Miller is suing Cedars-Sinai Marina Hospital and two surgeons for medical malpractice, professional negligence, and medical battery. She is seeking $430,000 in damages
Abby is wheelchair-bound after surviving a battle with Burkitt Lymphoma – a form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (seen promoting one of her causes, Dancers Against Cancer)
Her attorney said in a statement that the ‘systemic minimization of women’s suffering has had fatal consequences in our society.’
‘Abby’s case is a chilling reminder: even when women are vocal and visibly in distress, their pain is still not believed.’
‘As a paraplegic woman, Abby is advocating for herself and others in a medical system that has repeatedly failed them,’ Lewis added.
Miller remains in a wheelchair after being diagnosed with Burkitt Lymphoma in 2018.
Last year she bravely opened up about the terrifying moment she nearly died after contracting sepsis from a UTI.
The star was left screaming in excruciating pain when her catheter dislodged just days after she wrapped her Abby Lee Spills the Tea tour in the UK in July 2024.
It was one of many health battles that Miller, who was sentenced to one year and one day in prison after being convicted of fraud in May 2017, has faced in recent years.
One week after being released in May 2018, she was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma and subsequently underwent life-saving surgery to remove a tumor from her spine.
Abby rose to fame on Lifetime’s Dance Moms (pictured with young dancers on Dance Moms)
Although she is now cancer-free, she was temporarily paralyzed from the neck down and has been confined to a motorized wheelchair for the past six years.
When asked by DailyMail.com why she feels she has bounced back from multiple ailments, she choked back tears and said: ‘I think that I have a lot to do, and I hope when it is my time to go, it will matter that I was.’
‘I have a lot more choreography. I have a lot more kids to teach. I have a lot more social awareness about being in a chair.’
Abby rose to fame on Lifetime’s long-running reality show Dance Moms, which followed an elite youth dance troupe at the Abby Lee Dance Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which made stars out of Jojo Siwa and Maddie Ziegler.
