Shannen Doherty Says Her Cancer Battle Is 'Part of Life at This Point': 'I Never Really Complain'
Shannen Doherty will appear in the upcoming Lifetime movie List of a Lifetime, which centers around a woman who has been diagnosed with breast cancer . "I feel like I have a responsibility in my more public life, which I separate from my acting life ... to talk about cancer and perhaps educate people more and let people know that people with stage 4 are very much alive and very active," she told reporters. "My husband says that you would never know that I have cancer," added Doherty, who has been married to photographer Kurt Iswarienko since 2011. "I never really complain. I don't really talk about it.
© Provided by People Shannen Doherty/instagram Shannen Doherty is opening up about her breast cancer journey.
On Thursday, the 50-year-old actress — who revealed last year that her cancer had returned as stage 4 after previously entering remission in 2017 — gave her fans a raw look into her life by sharing images of what she called "my own personal journey from my first diagnosis to my second" in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
© Shannen Doherty/instagram "Finding humor helped get me thru what seemed impossible," Shannen Doherty wrote in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month "Is it all pretty? NO but it's truthful and my hope in sharing is that we all become more educated, more familiar with what cancer looks like," she wrote on her Instagram. "I hope I encourage people to get mammograms, to get regular checkups, to cut thru the fear and face whatever might be in front of you."
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One photo showed Doherty with a bloodied tissue stuck up her nostril, while the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum was pictured wearing Cookie Monster pajamas and a sleep mask in another snapshot.
© Provided by People Shannen Doherty/instagram RELATED: Shannen Doherty Plans to Live 'Another 10 or 15 Years' as She Battles Stage 4 Breast Cancer
"In 2015 I got diagnosed with breast cancer," Doherty continued in the caption. "I had a mastectomy and did chemo and radiation. I had many nose bleeds from the chemo. Not sure if any of you experienced this."
Gallery: 12 Celebrities Who Are Spreading the Word About the Pain of Endometriosis (People)
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Amy Schumer attends Charlize Theron's Africa Outreach Project Fundraiser at The Africa Center on November 12, 2019 in New York City
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Olivia Culpo
"I've never publicly said this before but I have endometriosis," the model revealed to fans in an Instagram Story on Aug. 26, 2020.
Amy Schumer Reveals She Had Her Uterus and Appendix Removed Due to Endometriosis
North Carolina wide receiver Josh Downs had the best game of his career as he caught eight passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Virginia.
"Aka the most excruciatingly painful cramps/periods. Anyone else reading this have Endo? No fun."
Culpo said that instead of undergoing a surgical procedure, she is currently relieving the pain with "lots of heating pads, lots of water and lots of Midol, honestly." She added on her story that "baths are also amazing."
The former Miss Universe went on to note how endometriosis can impact fertility, and advocated for women to pay close attention to their periods and to consult their doctors if they are particularly painful.
"Painful periods are not normal. You just want to make sure that everything is ok if you did want to get pregnant," she said. "You just never know. You don't want to wait too late, so I want everyone to take that seriously."
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Savannah Chrisley
The Chrisley Knows Best star opened up about her endometriosis diagnosis on Aug. 17, 2020, sharing on Instagram that she was preparing to undergo her third surgery to address it.
Shannen Doherty Wins $6.3 Million Lawsuit for Home Burned in Wildfire
Shannen Doherty Wins $6.3 Million Lawsuit for Home Burned in WildfireA federal jury in Los Angeles awarded $6.3 million to the Charmed alum, 50, on Monday, October 4, according to the Associated Press. The jury found that State Farm’s failure to pay benefits for the home were “unreasonable and without proper cause.” The verdict amount covers both damages to the house and property, as well as emotional distress and Doherty’s legal fees.
"VULNERABLE MOMENT FOR MY LADIES: I haven't talked about this much because honestly...I have struggled BIG TIME. I'm insanely self-conscious and just feel like my body has given up on me," the reality star wrote. "I was diagnosed with Endometriosis when I was 18 and it's been quite the struggle."
"The pain at times is unbearable and the toll it takes on my emotional/psychological health is pretty rough at times," she continued. "Tomorrow I have my 3rd surgery. I have found a specialist in Atlanta and he is ONE OF A KIND!"
Chrisley updated fans after her surgery, sharing on Instagram that she "had a huge cyst they had to remove" and that they "Found endo in/on my uterus, ovaries, bladder, and surrounding areas. So Dr. Sinervo removed that along with a good bit of scar tissue. He also cut some nerves to help with pain."
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Alexa Chung
The model and fashion designer shared her story on Instagram, posting a photo of her feet in hospital socks and revealing that she underwent laparoscopic surgery to receive her diagnosis.
"Endometriosis is a long-term condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other places, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes," Chung wrote. "It can be excruciating. The pain can effect [sic] your mental health, ability to work, relationships, your fertility, the list goes on. The only way to officially diagnose that you have it is by performing a laparoscopy. A year ago I put on these snazzy socks in preparation for my laparoscopic surgery."
Shannen Doherty Shares Emotional Experience with Hair Loss from Cancer Treatment: 'I Loved My Hair'
Shannen Doherty was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in February 2020 "When I started chemotherapy, I tried a cold cap in hopes of saving my hair. While it works for many and is amazing, it didn't work for me," Doherty wrote in the caption. "My hair was falling out in clumps when I washed it, I had bald spots and it became increasingly harder to cover those up." She continued, "I finally made a decision to shave what was left of my hair. It was a battle on its own. I loved my hair. It had defined me to a certain extent and provided me with a security blanket of sorts.
"Anyway, maybe by raising some #endometriosisawareness I might be able to help someone recognise what they have sooner. ???? ," the Next in Fashion co-host wrote.
"PS. Also not funny but sort of is because if you don't laugh you'll cry, this is what the top google answer says: 'It's not clear what causes endometriosis. It may be linked to things like your genes or a problem with your immune system.' Maybe let's get some research going into this women's health issue so it can go from something 'not clear' aka myssssttterrrrious to known about and treatable. :)" she added.
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Lena Dunham
The writer and actress has long shared her struggles with endometriosis over the years, a fight that caused her to lose "all trust in or connection to" her body.
Though the pain started with her first period, Dunham didn't get diagnosed until she was filming the first season of Girls at age 25. She says those years in between were difficult to handle.
"If my pain had no tangible source, that just meant my mind was more powerful than I was and it didn't want me to be happy, ever," Dunham said in 2015. "I saw myself divided like a black-and-white cookie into neat halves: one bright and ambitious, the other destined to wind up strapped to a gurney and moaning for pain meds."
Olivia Newton-John Gives Update on Stage 4 Diagnosis, Says She and Hoda Kotb are Breast Cancer 'Sisters'
Olivia Newton-John and Hoda Kotb got emotional bonding over their shared battles with breast cancer Kotb opened up about her own experience with cancer, comparing herself to Newton-John and her ability to stay positive. The beloved Grease star was shocked to learn that Kotb herself had been treated for breast cancer 14 years ago. "I'm really sorry you went through that," Newton-John told Kotb, who held back tears in the interview. "I didn't know that about you. So you're well now, you're doing good?" .
In an essay for the March 2018 issue of Vogue, she revealed that she had her uterus removed in a total hysterectomy, and can no longer carry a child — something she dreamed of since she was little.
"I may have felt choiceless before, but I know I have choices now," Dunham wrote. "Soon I'll start exploring whether my ovaries, which remain someplace inside me in that vast cavern of organs and scar tissue, have eggs. (Your brain, unaware that the rest of the apparatus has gone, in theory keeps firing up your eggs every month, to be released and reabsorbed into the cavern.) Adoption is a thrilling truth I'll pursue with all my might."
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Julianne Hough
Hough first had endometriosis symptoms at age 15, but the disorder was so under-the-radar at the time that she didn't know something was wrong.
"I thought that this was just the kind of pain you have when you're on your period," Hough told PEOPLE. "For years, I was just thinking that was normal and never really talked about it."
She finally faced the disorder head-on — and learned what it was — when she had to be rushed to the hospital from the Dancing with the Stars set in 2008.
"I found out that I had endometriosis and that I needed to get surgery that week," she says.
Now Hough wants women to speak openly about endometriosis.
"I don't care about being private about this anymore because I really want the women that are going through debilitating pain to benefit from my story or this campaign."
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Padma Lakshmi
The Top Chef host also went undiagnosed for years, and Lakshmi says her chronic pain played a huge part in the end of her marriage to Salman Rushdie. With Lakshmi often in too much pain to leave her bed or have sex, the couple were constantly fighting, and she says Rushdie once called her a "bad investment."
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The modern use of fingerprints to identify people predates a situation at Leavenworth involving nearly identical inmates.A Facebook post claims it was after two nearly identical men were sent to the same prison.
"Endometriosis was definitely a major reason that my marriage failed and I don't think either of us understood it at the time," Lakshmi told PEOPLE. "I think that's also because I hid it to a certain degree, not intentionally but you know, it's weird to talk about your period all the time. It's like the least sexy thing in the world to do."
"I think that Salman took it personally and I think that he felt rejected," she said, "and I can understand that."
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Daisy Ridley
Ridley got honest with her followers about how much her endometrosis — and the skin problems that come with it — affects her self-esteem.
"At 15 I was diagnosed with endometriosis. One laparoscopy, many consultations and 8 years down the line, pain was back (more mild this time!) and my skin was THE WORST," the actress posted on Instagram. "I've tried everything: products, antibiotics, more products, more antibiotics) and all that did was left my body in a bit of a mess. Finally found out I have polycystic ovaries and that's why it's bad. I can safely say feeling so self conscious has left my confidence in tatters."
She urged everyone to go to the doctor if something feels off.
"To any of you who are suffering with anything, go to a doctor; pay for a specialist; get your hormones tested, get allergy testing; keep on top of how your body is feeling and don't worry about sounding like a hypochondriac," she said.
"From your head to the tips of your toes we only have one body, let us all make sure ours our working in tip top condition, and take help if it's needed."
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Monica
The singer only discovered in her late 40s that the pain she had been dealing with for years was endometriosis. Thankfully, after an "almost 8 hour" surgery to remove cysts, fibroids and a hernia, she's feeling much better.
"I've known something was wrong but I also knew victory & better health would be near again!!" Monica wrote on Instagram two weeks post-op.
Fact check: Remains found in Florida park ID'd as Brian Laundrie's, not a supposed twin's
A forensic dentist told USA TODAY that dental records, which the FBI used to identify Laundrie, would be different even among identical twins. Laundrie’s only known sibling is Cassie Laundrie. Fact check: Police, medical examiner debunk claim that DNA doesn't match in Brian Laundrie case In response to USA TODAY's request for comment, the person who made the post said over Facebook Messenger that they are a medium and determined Laundrie is alive under a new identity thanks to collusion between the FBI and Laundrie's family. There is no evidence to support these claims.
Her hope is that speaking out will push more women to address any health issues.
"My reason for sharing is because we, as women, are built to be warriors and we will ignore something that seems so simple that can be so complex," she told PEOPLE. "Your uterine health is very important. I spoke up about it so people out there who are going through the same thing know that they're not alone."
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Tia Mowry-Hardrict
The Tia Mowry At Home star and cookbook author focuses on eating foods that reduce inflammation, because "endometriosis basically grows from inflammation," she previously told PEOPLE. She fills her diet with "fruits, vegetables, seeds and whole grains," and stays away from processed and packaged foods. Mowry-Hardrict also loves fermented foods.
"They are loaded with good bacteria that just keep the gut flora nice and balanced and able to fight off inflammation and free radicals in the body," she said.
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Halsey
The singer doubted theirself for years because their debilitating pain went undiagnosed by unconvinced doctors.
"I was recently diagnosed after years of suffering and finding myself doubled over backstage in the middle of my sets, or fighting back tears on an airplane, or even being in so much pain I would vomit or faint," Halsey wrote on Twitter in January 2016. "With doctors essentially telling me I was being a big baby about my period, or misdiagnosing PCOS, etc etc. Finding out that I had [endometriosis] was the most bittersweet moment because it meant I wasn't crazy! I wasn't a "baby"! I had every right to be feeling like the world was caving in. But it was terrifying to find out."
One year later, they underwent "multiple terrifying surgeries" to ease the pain.
"In my recovery I am thinking of all of you and how you give me the strength and stamina to power through and prosper," they wrote. "If you suffer from chronic pain or a debilitating disease please know that I have found time to live a crazy, wild, rewarding life AND balance my treatment and I hope so much in my heart that you can too."
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Jaime King
The actress decided to share the story of her long struggle with infertility due to endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome to help others.
"I was hiding what I was going through for so long, and I hear about so many women going through what I went through," King told PEOPLE. "If I'm open about it, hopefully it won't be so taboo to talk about it."
And her endometriosis affected her career, too.
"[When] I was diagnosed with endometriosis, I gained 40 pounds because my hormones were so crazy," King told The New York Post. "And it was like, 'Oh, [producers] want to offer you this role, but they want to know why you got fat.' I realized being shamed for gaining weight or being too thin felt the same."
On the fertility front, though, she finally got some good news after five miscarriages, five rounds of in vitro fertilization and 26 rounds of intrauterine insemination: King ended up naturally conceiving her son James.
"When I got pregnant it was the best thing in the whole world. I had never felt so grateful, happy and elated," King told PEOPLE.
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Explaining that she was often "beyond tired" during treatment, Doherty said she would put on "funny pajamas" to keep her spirits up.
"Did they actually cheer me up? Yes!! Lol. I looked ridiculous and in that ridiculousness, I was able to laugh at myself," she shared. "Finding humor helped get me thru what seemed impossible. I hope we all find humor in the impossible."
RELATED VIDEO: Shannen Doherty Opens Up about How Breast Cancer Affected Her Body
Last month, Doherty spoke about living with cancer during a virtual panel for her new Lifetime movie List of a Lifetime, sharing that she feels "a responsibility" to shatter misconceptions around cancer.
"I feel like I have a responsibility in my more public life, which I separate from my acting life ... to talk about cancer and perhaps educate people more and let people know that people with stage 4 are very much alive and very active," she told reporters.
"My husband says that you would never know that I have cancer," added Doherty, who has been married to photographer Kurt Iswarienko since 2011. "I never really complain. I don't really talk about it. It's part of life at this point."
© Provided by People Earl Gibson III/Getty Shannen Doherty RELATED: Shannen Doherty Gives Update amid Cancer Battle: 'Taking Care of Myself and Embracing Every Day'
Speaking with ABC News earlier this month, the former Charmed star said that she's been busy "living life" and spending her days "with friends and family and working."
"I think work was always very fulfilling to me, but in a way it's become even more fulfilling. A lot of people who get diagnosed with stage 4, they sort of get written off," she explained. "It's assumed that they cannot work or they can't work at their full capacity. And that is not true and that is something that I would really like for people to sort of stop assuming, and give us a chance to prove them wrong."
Doherty — who has been undergoing protocols, a type of cancer treatment plan, following her stage 4 diagnosis — added that she's chosen to see the silver lining in her journey.
"You really have to dig deep to face cancer, and in that, you find all this stuff that you had hidden away," she said. "And it's beautiful things that you find: you find the vulnerability, you find your trust in people again. You find forgiveness."
Fact check: Remains found in Florida park ID'd as Brian Laundrie's, not a supposed twin's .
A forensic dentist told USA TODAY that dental records, which the FBI used to identify Laundrie, would be different even among identical twins. Laundrie’s only known sibling is Cassie Laundrie. Fact check: Police, medical examiner debunk claim that DNA doesn't match in Brian Laundrie case In response to USA TODAY's request for comment, the person who made the post said over Facebook Messenger that they are a medium and determined Laundrie is alive under a new identity thanks to collusion between the FBI and Laundrie's family. There is no evidence to support these claims.