Former 90210 and Charmed star Shannen Doherty has been battling cancer for several years. Since being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, the star has waged a back-and-forth struggle with the disease in various forms. When she was diagnosed initially, it had already spread to her lymph nodes. By 2017, she was in remission, but her cancer returned in 2020. This summer, Doherty revealed the cancer had spread to her brain and now is in her bones as well. It is a grim outlook, but that hasn’t stopped her from being upbeat.
Doherty has taken the cancer as an opportunity to educate others on what life is like with the disease. She has also leaned into her faith to get her through, and that faith has given her a sense of peace and purpose. In a recent interview, she said: “I am a very spiritual person, so when I have done what I am here for, on this earth for, then that’ll be fine. But I’m not anywhere near that.”
Doherty has been very vocal about her battle, often sharing her treatments and her fears with others. She continued: “I’m not afraid of death. I know where I’m going. I know… the people that I’m gonna see. I think I would be afraid of death if I wasn’t a good person. But I am.” Her certainty about her fate after death has led her to be in a peaceful place as she struggles with a certainly fatal diagnosis.
To her credit, she has used her platform to raise awareness and money for a disease that continues to befuddle modern medicine. She continued: “I think that my life up until this moment was all getting me ready for what God has me here to accomplish. And I think that’s to reach people who have cancer that are impacted by it in such a profound way to help bring awareness, to help raise money. It’s insane to me that cancer’s been around this long and we still don’t have a cure… I do it because I have a platform and I have a responsibility not only to myself but to my fellow cancer family.”
The 90210 star also talked about the importance of staying active, working, and continuing to live life with cancer. She discussed the misconceptions many have about cancer patients: “People don’t know a lot about cancer,” she also noted the perception is “you can’t walk, you can’t eat, you can’t work.” Indeed, having a purpose and a reason to get out of bed every morning is key when battling any potentially fatal disease.
For Doherty, continuing to live life has been her way of fighting back and letting others with cancer know that they don’t have to lie down and die. She continued: “I’m not done with life. 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 —I’m not done. My greatest memory is yet to come.”
It has been a long battle for the beloved star and one that she is almost certain to lose. However, her positive outlook, the money and awareness she has raised, and her openness with the disease have hopefully allowed others to use her journey as an inspiration for their own battle.
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