Shannen Doherty, 52, reveals she could not hold basic kitchen items for three to four months after undergoing brain surgery amid cancer battle

Shannen Doherty could not hold basic kitchen items after undergoing brain surgery amid her heartbreaking battle with cancer.  

Doherty – whose stage four breast cancer has now spread to her bones – described to People the physical challenges she endured after having radiation done to remove a brain tumor. 

Speaking of ‘Bob’ – the name she had given her tumor – she told the outlet: ‘He had to get removed and dissected to see his pathology.’

‘It was definitely one of the scariest things I’ve ever been through in my entire life,’ Shannen, 52, added.

Shannen struggled with her right hand in the aftermath of the surgery, which occurred in January. For three to four months, she could not hold a glass or fork.  

Shannen Doherty could not hold basic kitchen items after undergoing brain surgery amid her heartbreaking battle with cancer

‘They put you on so many steroids. It’s to take down any brain swelling. I have a horrible reaction with steroids, so I tried to cut it down, and then the brain would swell a little bit more, and the hand would stop working completely,’ she said. ‘We persevere through all sorts of crazy stuff, right?’

Shannen was determined to recover her motor skills and worked hard to do so: ‘The first time a glass slipped right through my hand, I was like, ‘No, no, no, no, no. This is not happening. I am going to work on this.’ And so, I did,’ she said.

‘You think, “Could they have gotten more of that particular tumor?” But it takes perseverance, a lot of dedication and faith to get through certain things. I’m not a quitter.’

Shannen’s mother Rosa also endured a similar health scare after she was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm when the actress was just a young girl. Doctors believed Rosa had just a 10% chance of survival. 

One morning, Rosa awoke and discovered her eyebrow had become paralyzed. She worked hard to improve it, and eventually was able to move it.

‘I come from a woman who was determined. She impressed that upon me as a very young child like, ‘You don’t give up. You just have to work hard at it,’ she said.

Shannen – who is also open to finding love again – is determined to get through her treatments, knowing eventually a new remedy will become available.

‘The thing that I like to tell anybody — including myself — is that it’s about pushing through the next two, three, four and five years, because in that period of time, there’s going to be another new protocol, a new clinical trial,’ she explained. ‘There’s always something. So it’s just trying to get to that point.’

Doherty – whose stage four breast cancer has now spread to her bones – shared this video of her getting fitted for her mask ahead of her radiation treatment back in June 

Doherty said in the caption the clip was taken on January 9

Shannen also said she does not fear death: ‘I know where I’m going. I know the people that I’m going to see. I think I would be afraid of death if I wasn’t a good person, but I am,” she says. “I don’t want to die. That’s the difference. I’m not afraid of dying. I just don’t want to die, like ever.’

It comes as Shannen revealed to People that her stage four breast cancer had spread to her bones.  

However, the star remains positive despite this health setback as she bravely told the weekly: ‘I don’t want to die.

‘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 done.’

Shannen is continuing to seek treatment.

Doherty has revealed to People magazine that her stage four breast cancer has spread to her bones but has remained optimistic in the face of more adversity

She said she hopes to inspire others with her cancer journey as she explained: ‘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.’

Now that the SAG-AFTRA strike has ended, her next goal is to prove that she still can act and continue on with her career despite her illness.

The former star of Beverly Hills, 90210 said: ‘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.

‘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.’

In June, the Heathers star shared that her stage four breast cancer had spread to her brain.

She also revealed that five months prior to that she had undergone a surgery in order to remove a brain tumor which she humorously named ‘Bob’.

Shannen told People: ‘He had to get removed and dissected to see his pathology. It was definitely one of the scariest things I’ve ever been through in my entire life.’

The actress had a CT scan done on January 5 that revealed cancer cells had spread from their original site to her brain — known as ‘brain metastases.’

However, the star (seen in October 2019) remains positive despite another health setback as she bravely told the weekly: ‘I don’t want to die. 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 done’

Shannen is continuing to seek treatment as her stage four breast cancer has spread through her bones; she is seen in January

Breast cancer is among those most likely to lead to brain metastases which could cause a tumor or tumors in the brain, as per the Mayo Clinic.

In a post shared back in June of her treatment, Shannen explained that she underwent her first round of radiation therapy on January 12 and that she’s fearful despite having a ‘great’ medical team.

Included with her post was a heartbreaking clip of herself crying as she received the cancer treatment at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

‘January 12, 2023,’ began Shannen. ‘On January 5th, my ct scan showed Mets in my brain.’

She then referenced a video clip shared the previous day which showed her getting some sort of an MRI.

The star explained that it is part of the ‘process of getting fitted for the mask which you wear during radiation to your brain.’

In the clip, she is seen lying down as doctors placed a blue mold over her face. They had her bite down to make sure it adhered to her mouth and chin.

Shannen began to cry as they held the edges of the mask down and pinned them to a board behind her head before moving her into the machine.

Now that the SAG-AFTRA strike has ended, Shannen’s (pictured in September 2016) next goal is to prove that she still can act and continue on with her career despite her illness as she told People: ‘We’re vibrant’

The actress continued in the post: ‘January 12, the first round of radiation took place. My fear is obvious.’

Radiation treatment uses ‘energy beams to destroy cancer cells’ and it can ‘target all or part of the brain, depending on a person’s diagnosis,’ according to NYU Langone Health.

‘I am extremely claustrophobic and there was a lot going on in my life,’ Shannen wrote. ‘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,’ the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum concluded. 

In June, the Heathers star shared that her stage four breast cancer had spread to her brain 

Shannen explained that she underwent her first round of radiation therapy on January 12 and that she’s still fearful despite having a ‘great’ medical team

Breast cancer is among those most likely to lead to brain metastases which could cause a tumor or tumors in the brain, as per the Mayo Clinic 

Included with her post was a heartbreaking clip of herself crying as she received the cancer treatment at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles

She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2015 that spread to her lymph nodes.

After undergoing a unilateral mastectomy and radiotherapy and chemotherapy, Shannen announced that her cancer was in remission in April 2017.

The actress then revealed in February 2020 that her cancer had returned and she was in stage four, before announcing June that it had spread to her brain and is terminal.

Shannen in April filed for divorce from her husband, Kurt Iswarienko, 49, after 11 years of marriage.

The official divorce paperwork obtained by TMZ revealed that the pair had been separated since January.

Shannen is shown on the set of 90210 with her co-star Luke Perry

Shannen in April filed for divorce from her husband, Kurt Iswarienko, 49, after 11 years of marriage; the former couple are seen in November 2016

Shannen and Iswarienko exchanged vows and tied the knot in Malibu in October 2011.

Previously, she was married to actor Ashley Hamilton from 1993 to 1994, and her second marriage was with poker player Rick Salomon from 2002 to 2003.

Shannen portrayed Brenda Walsh in the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210 from 1990 to 1994 and reprised the role for 90210 in 2008 and again in BH90210 in 2019.

She also is known for her portrayal of Prue Halliwell in the fantasy drama TV series Charmed.

Source: Read Full Article