Beverly Hills 90210 star Shannen Doherty has opened up about her plans to prepare videos and written notes for family members as she battles stage 4 cancer.
The 49-year-old actress, also known for her Little House on the Prairie and Charmed roles, received the tragic diagnosis last year as she discovered the disease had moved to her spine.
Having beat cancer previously, the news that it had now become metastatic was a devastating blow for Shannen and her family.
Metastatic cancer means it has spread from the part of the body where it started and now spread to other parts of the body.
Shannen has opened up about her plans to leave behind videos and letters for her loved ones (Image: Getty Images)
When cancer cells break away from a tumor, they can travel to other parts of the body through the bloodstream or the lymph system.
In Shannen’s case, it has spread beyond the breasts and lymph nodes and into her spine.
Since receiving the bombshell news that turned her life upside down in February 2019, she has revealed plans to record her farewells for loved ones as she continues to beat down the disease.
Shannen had overcome cancer once before was later told that her breast cancer had spread to her spine (Image: GMA)
The actress has relayed that she plans to pen letters and video messages but isn’t ready to give up just yet as she firmly believes she has another 10 to 15 years of life still in her.
In an interview with Elle magazine, the TV star felt as though there was so much more she still had to say to her mother and husband, Kurt Iswarienko.
Speaking about her future plans to let them know how much they mean to her, she said: “Whenever it comes time for me to do it, it feels so final. It feels like you’re signing off, and I’m not signing off.
“I feel like I’m a very, very healthy human being. It’s hard to wrap up your affairs when you feel like you’re going to live another 10 or 15 years.”
Despite receiving the tragic news, Shannen isn’t giving up and feels healthy enough that she believes she has another 10 to 15 years left of life (Image: Getty Images)
Shannen received the all-clear less than two years before needing to undergo surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.
Having experienced back pain, she returned to the doctor to uncover her worst fears that her cancer had spread.
Experts have warned that the disease will likely continue to surge across her body with the possibility of attacking her brain, lungs and liver too.
She’s in the process of testing a new metastatic drug and undergoing hormone therapy to attempt to block the estrogen that can see cancer cells multiply.
Although metastatic breast cancer has proved to be deadly in the past, it isn’t always sudden and some patients have fought on for ten years without repercussions.
With advanced technology and medicine in place, many sufferers now go on to live over a decade, with the right course of treatment.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
