In 2015, former 90210 and Charmed actress Shannen Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer with the disease returning in 2020 as Stage IV, metastasizing and spreading to her brain.
Since it’s return, Shannen has opened up about her battle with the ferocious disease and the realities of living with cancer.
Shannen Doherty undergoes treatment for her cancer.
(Image: Instagram)Shannon told People magazine that she remained positive after bravely admitting: “I don’t want to die.”
“I’m not done with living. I’m not done with loving. I’m not done with creating. I’m not done with hopefully changing things for the better. I’m just not done.”
But in a recent heartbreaking update, Shannen has told fans she is letting go of some of her possessions to make things “easier” for her family when she passes.
“My priority at the moment is my mum. I know it’s going to be hard on her if I pass away before her. Because it’s going to be so hard on her, I want other things to be a lot easier,” she said.
“I don’t want her to have a bunch of stuff to deal with. I don’t want her to have four storage units filled with furniture.”
In early 2024 it was revealed her new cancer infusion wasn’t working. Despite doctors suggesting she switch treatments, Shannen wanted to persist with the treamtent.
WATCH: Shannen Doherty opens up about her battle with breast cancer. Article continues after video.
“After the sixth or seventh treatment, we really saw it breaking down the blood-brain barrier. Do I call that a miracle? Yeah. For me, that happens to be a miracle right now. That I sort of rolled the dice and said, ‘let’s keep going’,” she shared on her podcast Let’s Be Clear.
Desperate for advancements in treatment options, Shannen hopes “to squeeze out another three to five years” to experience new options to help fight her cancer.
“There’s going to be a lot more options that will give another five years,” she said on her podcast.
Shannen began radiation therapy in January 2023 and posted a video of the process to her Instagram page.
“January 12, the first round of radiation took place,” she wrote on Instagram. “My fear is obvious. I am extremely claustrophobic and there was a lot going on in my life. I am fortunate as I have great doctors like Dr Amin Mirahdi and the amazing techs at Cedar Sinai [Medical Centre].”
“But that fear… The turmoil… the timing of it all… This is what cancer can look like.”
Shannen was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015.
(Image: Getty)In a follow-up post, shared four days later, she opened up about the terrifying surgery.
“I had a tumor in my head they wanted to remove and also biopsy,” she penned. “I am clearly trying to be brave but I am petrified. The fear was overwhelming to me. Scared of all possible bad outcomes, worried about leaving my mom and how that would impact her. Worried that I would come out of surgery not me anymore. This is what cancer can look like.”
Sarah Michelle Gellar responded to the video, telling Shannen: “You are a warrior.”
Selma Blair – who’s fighting her own battle with multiple sclerosis – commented: “This is a lot. This is a lot to take on, still again. And I am wishing for all the wise peace you have learned to find you in the terror moments. To know we are holding you. Love. All love.”
In October 2021, more than a year after her cancer returned, Shannen encouraged people to get regular check ups and “cut through the fear.”
“For breast cancer awareness month, I’d like to share more of my own personal journey from my first diagnosis to my second,” she wrote on Instagram. “Is it all pretty? NO but it’s truthful and my hope in sharing is that we all become more educated, more familiar with what cancer looks like.
Shannen has been open about her difficult journey.
(Image: Instagram)“I hope I encourage people to get mammograms, to get regular checkups, to cut thru the fear and face whatever might be in front of you. In 2015 I got diagnosed with breast cancer. I had a mastectomy and did chemo and radiation. I had many nose bleeds from the chemo. Not sure if any of you experienced this.
“I also was beyond tired. I cheered myself up by putting on funny pajamas that my friend Kristy gave me. Did they actually cheer me up? Yes!! Lol. I looked ridiculous and in that ridiculousness, I was able to laugh at myself. Finding humor helped get me thru what seemed impossible. I hope we all find humor in the impossible.”
