US actress Shannen Doherty has shared an update on her battle with breast cancer, revealing that it has now spread to her bones. Speaking to People Magazine, the 52-year-old expressed her optimism despite the disease that she was first diagnosed with in 2015. Doherty is famous for her roles in the popular 1990s television series ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ and ‘Charmed’. “I don’t want to die,” she confessed in the cover story of People Magazine on November 19, just days before Thanksgiving.
Doherty emphasized that she still has a lot of living left to do. “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,” she asserted.
In a 2017 Instagram post, the actress announced that she was in remission. However, People Magazine reported that the cancer had returned. In 2020, Doherty revealed that she had reached stage 4 of the disease.
Reflecting on her condition, Doherty explained that it has led her to search for a greater purpose in life. “When you ask yourself, ‘Why me? Why did I get cancer?’ and then ‘Why did my cancer come back? Why am I stage 4?’ that leads you to look for the bigger purpose in life,” she shared.
Doherty is now focused on raising awareness and funds for cancer research, aiming to show the world that individuals with terminal cancer still have much to contribute. “People just assume that it means you can’t walk, you can’t eat, you can’t work,” she expressed. “They put you out to pasture at a very early age – ‘You’re done, you’re retired,’ and we’re not. 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 concluded.
