Heavy Shannen Doherty set to undergo additional chemotherapy treatments.
A longtime actor who starred in the 2010 Hallmark movie “Growing the Big One” is preparing to undergo more chemotherapy treatments. Shannen Doherty is battling stage IV breast cancer that has spread to her bones.
“I have no idea how long I’m gonna be on the chemo for,” Doherty admitted on the June 24 episode of her “Let’s Be Clear” podcast.
“I have no idea if it’s gonna be 3 months or if it’s gonna be 6 months. Or if we’re gonna — if after 3 months, it’s not working, if we’re gonna change again,” she continued. “That’s not something that I can predict. It’s not something my doctors can predict. And it’s scary.”
Doherty was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. She underwent a mastectomy followed by chemotherapy and radiation treatment. The course of treatment successfully caused Doherty’s cancer to go into remission by 2017. Two years later, however, the cancer had returned.
Shannen Doherty Feels Like She’s Walking ‘Into the Unknown’
In addition to dealing with her terminal cancer diagnosis, Doherty is also going through a divorce. She filed for divorce from Kurt Iswarienko in April 2023 after 11 years of marriage. However, the proceedings are still ongoing and the two haven’t been able to come to an agreement on terms.
“Divorce is the last thing Shannen wanted. Unfortunately, she felt she was left with no other option,” Doherty’s rep, Leslie Sloane, told TODAY in a statement in 2023.
On her podcast, Doherty talked about the recent headlines surrounding her divorce and shared that things haven’t been easy to deal with.
“To just be walking into the unknown — I just feel like my life has been unknown for over a year now, between divorce and cancer,” she explained. “There’s so many different nuances that people will never understand. I don’t understand why people find it so fascinating,” she said, adding that if and when she feels ready to talk about her split and its aftermath, she will.
Shannen Doherty Is Preparing for the Future
Doherty doesn’t know where her cancer journey will lead, but she has been doing some things to prepare for what’s to come.
On the April 1 episode of the “Let’s Be Clear” podcast, Doherty said she’s begun “downsizing” her belongings.
“It doesn’t matter if you have a terminal disease or whatever, I believe, yes, obviously, you should live life to its fullest and embrace life while you’re alive. But I guess it’s the cancer, for me, that has really made me take stock of my life and shift my priorities, and my priority at the moment is my mom,” she explained.
That hasn’t been easy for the actor, either.
“It feels like you’re giving up on something that was very special and important to you. You know that it’s the right thing to do and that it’s going to give you a sense of peace and a sense of calm because you’re helping the people that you leave behind just have a cleaner, easier transition,” she added.
Doherty admitted that she hasn’t been “enjoying” the process. However, she has come to terms with what’s important in her life — and what’s not.
“I do have a ticking time clock over me, so I’m not interested in lies. I’m not interested in anything but spreading my truth, being truthful to myself, being truthful to the people around me, being truthful to the fans and just living the most authentic life that I possibly can while I’m still here,” she said.
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Former Hallmark Actor Prepares for ‘Scary’ Months Ahead