Shannen Doherty has opened up about her health battle after her breast cancer had spread to her bones.
The 52-year-old Beverly Hills, 90210 alum was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. Years later, the actress revealed that her disease had become terminal after spreading to her brain and bones.
Despite being crippled by the illness, Doherty remains determined to continue her career in acting and “outlive almost everyone.”
Speaking out on ABC’s Good Morning America, Shannen said the treatment would sometimes leave her “sick for a couple of days” during which her mother comes over to take care of her.
“I am on a protocol that has chemotherapy properties in it so it’s not traditional chemotherapy. It’s an infusion, I get it once every three weeks. You’re sick for a couple of days. And you know, those days you just kind of hang out, you catch up on TV, you do a little work on the computer. And you get taken care of,” she bravely admitted.
“My mom comes and takes care of me. My friends stop by and bring me soup and bread and whatever I can possibly eat… you feel a little spoiled. You’ve got to always find the positive. It’s the silver lining.”
Shannen went on to say that her former co-stars Brian Austin Green and Ian Ziering are amongst her closest friends who always check in on her and help her power through.
“Brian and I always sort of had a bond. Ian and I, our bond sort of came a little bit later in life. And those two check in on me constantly,” she added.
“They are always sending me text messages. ‘Do you need us for anything? Do you need me to do anything for you?’ Whenever we see each other, it’s just warmth, nothing but love and hugs. And I think that’s how you show up for somebody, right? By truly wanting for that person to be doing well, that exudes out to the other person.”
And in spite of the unforgivable illness that was forced onto her, Doherty feels “blessed and thankful” and believes a “positive attitude” goes a long way because “laughter is always the best medicine.”
“They tell me we’re just going to keep on chasing protocols. Essentially you hope to stay on one for as long as possible, and we have amazing things happening right now in the cancer world with new clinical trials and everything else,” she continued.
“So by the time this protocol that I’m on stops working, there will be something else. I’m determined to outlive almost everyone.”
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