Shannen Doherty is not losing hope after announcing 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 is determined to move forward with her acting work, raise awareness for cancer research, and “reflect on the big picture” of her life.
“I don’t want to die,” Doherty said.
The “Charmed” and “Beverly Hills, 90210” actor said she hopes to get into clinical trials as new treatments are developed but what drives her now is the desire “to prove” that she can work despite her cancer diagnosis.
“I’m not done with living,” she told People “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.”
Doherty has been dealing with her cancer diagnosis for almost a decade. She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, after she says that her dog Bowie started to “obsessively sniff” 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 became “elevated,” according to the Associated Press. Then in 2020, she announced on “Good Morning America” that it had returned as stage 4, meaning that it has spread beyond its original location, according to the American Cancer Society.
Then in June she shared the cancer spread to her brain in an emotional video where she was crying as she underwent radiation.
Doherty told People that she was frustrated with how she’s been treated since her diagnosis, with people assuming cancer patients are done with life.
“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.”
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, 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.”
