‘I am not done with living’: Shannen Doherty says ‘I don’t want to die’ as breast cancer spreads to her bones
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Shannen Doherty is not giving up on her battle with cancer. The 52-year-old actress, who rose to fame with her roles in 'Beverly Hills, 90210' and 'Charmed', has revealed that her cancer has metastasized to her bones.
“I don’t want to die,” she told People, adding “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.”
Shannen Doherty hopes to get into clinical trials
Doherty is still receiving treatment and hopes to get into clinical trials as new therapies are developed.
She also wants to raise awareness and contribute to cancer research. “It’s insane to me [that] we still don’t have a cure,” she said in the interview with the publication.
Doherty was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. She underwent a mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation, but the cancer returned and spread to her brain.
She had a brain tumor removed in June 2023 and shared a video of herself before the surgery on Instagram.
“The fear was overwhelming to me,” she wrote, adding “Scared of all possible bad outcomes, worried about leaving my mother and how that would impact her.
"Worried that I would come out of surgery not me anymore. This is what cancer can look like," she further said.
Shannen Doherty is living with a purpose
Despite her struggles, Doherty is not letting cancer define her. She is launching a new podcast called 'Let’s Be Clear with Shannen Doherty', which will premiere on December 7 on the iHeartRadio app and other platforms.
The podcast is going to be "an interesting journey." In the introductory podcast, Shannen Doherty said she will be talking about a "multitude of things" particularly her "own story."
Doherty will talk about marriage, friendships, family, careers, and divorce and it will be "nothing but truth--unfiltered," besides "a lot about cancer" and how it has affected her relationships with the people in her life.
'We’re vibrant, and we have such a different outlook on life': Shannen Doherty on people with cancer
She believes that people with cancer are often misunderstood and dismissed by society. “People just assume that it means you can’t walk, you can’t eat, you can’t work. They put you out to pasture at a very early age —‘You’re done, you’re retired,’ and we’re not,” she said.
“We’re vibrant, and we have such a different outlook on life. We are people who want to work and embrace life and keep moving forward," she added.
Doherty’s mantra is her faith, which helps her cope with her fears and uncertainties. “My greatest memory is yet to come,” she said, adding “I pray. I wake up and go to bed thanking God, praying for the things that matter to me without asking for too much."
"It connects me to a higher power and spirituality. My faith is my mantra," she continued.