Today's guest is Nick Miller, an artist and teacher living in Melbourne.

In 2010 at the age of 19, Nick was diagnosed with aplastic anaemia, a rare disorder in which the bone marrow fails to produce enough blood cells, causing a deficiency of all blood cell types.

The condition left Nick unable to fight infection, resulting in an ongoing course of treatment including a lower grade dose of chemotherapy and the ongoing administration of immunosuppressant drugs. After 4 years on this course of treatment, Nick’s condition began to decline again, severely impacting his quality of life and forcing him to decide whether to take the risk of having a bone marrow transplant.

“It's a strange thing having to choose and essentially gamble on your life.” 

Nick made the call to proceed with the transplant, which thankfully was successful. 

In 2019, Nick set out to create something to acknowledge his journey, curating an entire exhibition around his battle with aplastic anaemia. He used thousands of old medication wrappers to create a work of art which has been displayed in galleries across Melbourne.

Fast-forward a few years and Nick has continued to flourish, with few lasting physical effects from the condition, and even running a marathon in the last year.

In this conversation, Nick and I chat about the evolution of his outlook on health and Being throughout his journey, how he remained optimistic in the face of adversity and the importance of goal-setting (and the occasional party!) for healing.

@nmillerart