Shannen Doherty's Determination Fuels Her Career Amid Ongoing Cancer Battle
Shannen Doherty vows to conquer breast cancer while continuing to thrive in Hollywood, as she fearlessly navigates her career amidst the disease spreading to her bones
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Shannen Doherty isn’t planning on letting her ongoing battle with cancer halt her Hollywood career.
A spokesperson for Doherty, 52, has confirmed that "she is doing great and full steam ahead." TMZ also reported that the actress has numerous upcoming events to promote her new podcast, "Let's Be Clear With Shannen Doherty." This update follows Doherty's announcement that her stage IV breast cancer has spread to her bones.
In an emotional interview published on Wednesday, November 29, she told People, "I am not ready to give up. I still have so much to live for, love, and create. I am determined to make positive changes and find a greater purpose in life as I continue to fight my health battle."
"I believe my best memory is still ahead of me," she said. "I start and end my days with prayers of gratitude and hope, connecting with a higher power and my spirituality. My faith is my guiding principle."
After initially facing breast cancer from March 2015 to April 2017, Doherty shared in February 2020 that the illness had resurfaced.
"I will be sharing with you very soon that I’m stage IV," she revealed on Good Morning America. "My cancer has returned. It’s a tough reality to accept in many ways. I haven’t fully come to terms with it yet. In October 2020, I mentioned that I don’t view my cancer diagnosis as a 'death sentence'."
“I want to change the perception of stage IV cancer, it shouldn’t make people picture someone as gray and falling over,” she shared with friend Sarah Michelle Gellar in an interview for Entertainment Tonight. “People tend to dismiss you so easily, even though you’re still vibrant, healthy, and content. There’s an instant assumption that it’s a death sentence, but it’s not.”
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Earlier this year, Doherty revealed that her breast cancer had spread to her brain.
"In June, she shared on Instagram that a CT scan on January 5th revealed the presence of metastases in her brain. The first round of radiation took place on January 12th, and she expressed her obvious fear, particularly due to her extreme claustrophobia and the other challenges she was facing in her life. Despite her fear and the turmoil, she expressed gratitude for her great doctors, such as Dr. Amin Mirahdi, and the wonderful technicians at Cedar Sinai. She emphasized that this is what cancer can look like - a mix of fear, turmoil, and challenging timing."
