Shannen Doherty shares ‘what cancer can look like’ in new video: ‘I am petrified’

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Shannen Doherty is opening up with her fans on her terrifying battle with cancer, candidly admitting she is “petrified” in a new video taken just moments before she underwent surgery to remove a tumour in her head.

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“January 16, 2023. Surgery. I had a tumour in my head they wanted to remove and also biopsy. I am clearly trying to be brave but I am petrified. The fear was overwhelming to me,” the 52-year-old wrote in an Instagram post.

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“Scared of all possible bad outcomes, worried about leaving my mom and how that would impact her. Worried that I would come out of surgery not me anymore,” the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum continued. “This is what cancer can look like.”

Doherty’s fans praised the actress for her raw honesty in the comments section.

“There will be people seeing this who are going through their own journey or know somebody who is. Those people will feel less alone, because of you. It’s those, “scared” moments that make us what we are. Human,” one person wrote.

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“I can’t imagine how terrifying and painful it must have been. You’re so incredibly strong and brave, Shannen,” a second added. “Sending you lots of love and positive vibes. You got this.”

Last week, Doherty revealed in a heartbreaking Instagram message that a CT scan performed earlier this year showed that she her breast cancer had spread to her brain.

The Charmed star shared the news with her two million Instagram followers as she tearfully posted a video of herself going through “the process of getting fitted for the mask which you wear during radiation to your brain.”

“January 12, 2023. On January 5th, my ct scan showed (the cancer metastisized) in my brain,” Doherty wrote. “January 12, the first round of radiation took place. My fear is obvious. I am extremely claustrophobic and there was a lot going on in my life. I am fortunate as I have great doctors like Dr. Amin Mirahdi and the amazing techs at Cedar Sinai. But that fear…. The turmoil….. the timing of it all…. This is what cancer can look like.”

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Doherty’s friend Selma Blair, who is battling multiple sclerosis, commented on the post: “This is a lot to take on, still again. And I am wishing for all the wise peace you have learned to find you in the terror moments. To know we are holding you. Love. All love.”

Sarah Michelle Gellar called Doherty a “warrior,” with writer-director Kevin Smith, who cast Doherty in 2005’s Mallrats, adding: “Rooting for you, my irreplaceable friend. You have been such a fearless fighter your whole life, so it’s understandable to be a little scared from time to time. But when those moments pass, let that indomitable Doherty spirit take over anew. I love you so much, my Mallrat.”

Doherty was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, but she announced that she had gone into remission two years later. In 2020, the actress announced the cancer had returned and was stage 4.

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“I definitely have days where I say, ‘Why me?’ And then I go, ‘Well, why not me? Who else? Who else besides me deserves this?’ None of us do,” Doherty said during a sitdown with Good Morning America in 2020.

After going public with her stage 4 diagnosis, Doherty told Variety in 2021 that her goal was to prove to Hollywood that people with cancer could still work. “The best example that I can continue to set for other people with cancer, and to the outside world who doesn’t have cancer,” Doherty said, “is to show them what a cancer patient looks like. We are employable.”

That year, Doherty filmed three back-to-back projects. “Stage 4 cancer, it doesn’t mean the end of your life,” she said at the time. “It doesn’t mean that you’re not viable in the workplace. It’s quite the opposite.”

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Throughout her cancer fight, Doherty has candidly documented her health battles with her followers on social media.

In 2017, she posted a throwback video which showed the actress having her head shaved.

“I’m happy with the little Twiggy haircut (I have) at the moment,” she said of the shorter style. “I’m rocking it… I get ready in, like, five minutes, so it’s fantastic.”

In October 2021, she posted a selfie in bed to mark breast cancer awareness month.

“Is it all pretty? NO but it’s truthful,” she wrote. “I hope I encourage people to get mammograms, to get regular checkups, to cut (through) the fear and face whatever might be in front of you.”

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Twitter: @markhdaniell

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