Shannen Doherty Shares Emotional Health Update After Cancer Diagnosis

Shannen Doherty has shared an update on her health, a week after revealing that her stage 4 breast cancer has spread to her bones.

The Beverly Hills and 90210 star was initially diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. She underwent a mastectomy the following year, but it was found that the cancer cells could have spread beyond the lymph nodes.

Doherty, 52, subsequently underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy before announcing in 2017 that she was in remission. However, the Memphis native revealed in February 2020 that her breast cancer had returned and was at stage 4.

"I don't want to die," Doherty told People in sharing the news that the cancer has since spread to her bones. "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."

On Wednesday, Doherty made an appearance on ABC's Good Morning America, where she shared more about living with cancer and maintaining a positive outlook.

When asked by GMA host Michael Strahan how she was, Doherty said: "I'm feeling great, for the most part. You know, there's some times when you don't feel good and you just sort of power through. But overall, I feel happy and blessed and thankful."

Doherty said that her doctors "tell me that we're just gonna keep on chasing protocols. Essentially, you hope to stay on one for as long as possible. We have amazing things happening right now in the cancer world with new clinical trials and everything else. So by the time this protocol that I'm on stops working, there will be something else. I'm determined to outlive almost everyone."

Throughout her cancer journey, Doherty has been keeping her fans updated through social media posts. On Wednesday, she launched her podcast, Let's Be Clear with Shannen Doherty, on iHeartRadio.

During her appearance on GMA, Strahan asked Doherty how she has been able to maintain a humorous outlook on life, given her ongoing health issues.

"What's the alternative?" Doherty responded. "The alternative is that you're negative and you're depressed and that's not gonna help your cancer at all—especially if you believe in mind over matter.

"I think that a positive attitude and believing that you're going to get through [cancer], it resonates within your entire body. The brain is a very powerful thing. And laughter is always the best medicine."

In an Instagram post shared in June, Doherty revealed that she had undergone surgery five months earlier to remove a tumor from her brain as the cancer spread. As a reflection of her humor, she named the tumor Bob.

Doherty now hopes her journey with cancer can help spread awareness, and she plans to raise funds for research into the disease that still doesn't have a cure.

"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 told People.

The Charmed star plans to continue working—even if others would assume that her terminal cancer diagnosis would prevent her from doing so.

"People just assume that it means you can't walk, you can't eat, you can't work," she said. "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."

"My greatest memory is yet to come," she said. "I pray. I wake up and go to bed thanking God, praying for the things that matter to me without asking for too much. It connects me to a higher power and spirituality. My faith is my mantra."