Shannen Doherty isn’t losing hope after revealing her stage 4 breast cancer has spread to her bones.
In a story published Wednesday, the 52-year-old actress told People Magazine that she remains in high spirits despite her cancer spreading. She said she was committed to furthering her acting work, raising awareness for cancer research and “thinking about the bigger picture” of her life.
“I don’t want to die,” Doherty said.
The “Charmed” and “Beverly Hills, 90210” actress said she hopes to participate in clinical trials as new treatments are developed. What drives her now, however, is the desire to “prove” that she can work despite her cancer diagnosis.
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“I’m not done with life yet,” she told People. “I’m not done loving yet. I’m not done creating yet. I’m not done trying to hopefully change things for the better. I’m just not – I’m not done yet.
Doherty has been dealing with her cancer diagnosis for nearly a decade. She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 after she said her dog Bowie began “compulsively sniffing” at her side. By 2016, the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes and she had to undergo eight rounds of chemotherapy and radiation.
She went into remission in 2017, but a year later her tumor markers were “elevated,” according to the Associated Press. Then, in 2020, she announced on “Good Morning America” that the disease had returned as stage 4, meaning it had spread beyond its original location, according to the American Cancer Society.
Then in June, she opened up about the cancer spreading to her brain in an emotional video in which she cried during radiation treatment.
Doherty told People she is frustrated with how she has been treated since her diagnosis and that people assume cancer patients are done with life.
“People just assume it means you can’t walk, you can’t eat, you can’t work. They put you out to pasture at a very young age – ‘You’re done, you’re retired’ and that’s not who we are,” she said. “We are alive and have a completely different attitude to life. We are people who want to work, enjoy life and develop.”
But Doherty said she has a lot to look forward to and is relying on her faith now more than ever.
“My greatest memory is yet to come,” Doherty said. “I pray. I wake up and go to bed thanking God and praying for the things that are important to me without asking too much. It connects me to a higher power and spirituality. My faith is my mantra.”
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