Earlier this year, “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “Charmed” actress Shannen Doherty revealed that her breast cancer had returned and metastasized since her initial diagnosis in 2015. This means the disease has since spread beyond her breast and lymph nodes.
Now, In the wake of her most recent re-diagnosis, Doherty opened up to Elle magazine about how she has been able to process the situation and share the news with her loved ones.
“I try to treasure all the small moments that most people don’t really see or take for granted,” Doherty said in the October
issue. “The small things are magnified for me. We have this endless well within us, and it’s just about continuing to dig in that well for the strength to face adversity — and so that we can also see all the beauty.”
Doherty underwent surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation when she was initially diagnosed five years ago. Unfortunately, the cancer has since spread from her breast to her spine and likely to her brain, lungs, and liver.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Although the 49-year-old actress has been battling with cancer for several years, she has not let that stop her from continuing to live life. During the current global pandemic, Doherty has spent her days taking care of her vegetable garden and developing multiple projects, including a new television show. The “Charmed” alum hopes that she can advocate for other people dealing with metastatic breast cancer.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
“Others want to put you out to pasture,” she said. “I’m not ready for pasture. I’ve got a lot of life in me.”⠀
Despite Doherty’s optimism for the future, she has imagined one that doesn’t include her in it. She has had thoughts about
writing letters to her family and friends, deciding who would receive her belongings, and creating video messages for her mother and husband to view after she passes.⠀⠀⠀⠀
“But whenever it comes time for me to do it, it feels so final. It feels like you’re signing off, and I’m not signing off,” she said. “I feel like I’m a very, very healthy human being. It’s hard to wrap up your affairs when you feel like you’re going to live another 10 or 15 years.”
The new treatment that Doherty will undergo involves hormone therapy to stop the estrogen powering her cancer and a second targeted drug that has been effective at calming metastatic disease, the magazine stated. If that does not work, the actress expects to try other drug combinations.
