After a journey through breast cancer and a tough reconstruction process, the actress tells us about how it affected her relationships, learning to love her body again, and her goals for the future.
If you had looked at Shannen Doherty’s life a few years ago, you would have seen something pretty darn idyllic. Through years of hard work and indelible roles on Beverly Hills, 90210 and Charmed, she had established herself as a talented and respected Hollywood actress, and she had found love and settled down with photographer Kurt Iswarienko. Then, in 2015, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and her world dramatically changed. Shannen immediately swung into action, and what followed was a whirlwind. “It’s been eye-opening, enlightening, and hard,” she admits. “There were definitely dips and valleys where I thought, ‘God, I wish this were easier.’ ” Her initial attempts at fighting the cancer cells with hormone therapy proved to be ineffective, as the disease had spread to her lymph nodes. So in May 2016, Shannen had a single mastectomy, followed by grueling courses of chemotherapy, and then radiation. About a year after radiation was complete, she underwent an intense reconstructive surgery. Now, “I’m in remission,” explains Shannen, 47, “but I’m still not done with this journey. Every five years [cancer-free] is another milestone.” Nonetheless, she is brimming with strength, positivity, and even gratitude for the disease that threatened to end her life. “As brutal as it was, cancer was a gift,” she says. “It opened me up, it taught me about myself, and it changed me as a human being forever.”
Going back, what do you remember about your initial diagnosis?
There was a lump, and I had a mammogram and then a biopsy. When I got the results, I was in the car with my mom and I just knew. The longer I sat, the more it started sinking in. Then I started crying. I called my husband and told him. And from there, I just put together a team—including L.A.-based surgeons Dr. Armando Giuliano and Dr. Jay Orringer and oncologist Dr. Lawrence Piro.
What made you decide to be so candid about everything on social media?
It was just about being as honest as possible. And then it became very important to me that I was there for people who were going through it. I would never give medical advice because I’m not a doctor, but I would always say, “Advocate for yourself.” And also, I get a little less trolls and haters on social media now, so that’s good. I think because cancer stripped me of my defense mechanisms, it allowed people to see all sides of me.
What was the lowest point throughout the journey?
I remember I got in the shower to wash my hair, and it just started coming out in clumps. I started screaming for my mom. I think that was harder than the surgeries. It was like, “Oh my God, this is real.” Right away, I made the decision to shave my head. My friend came over, and she shaved it. We laughed, and we cried. She shaved it in stages, so it was like a pageboy, then punk rock, shaved on the sides. It was a fun experience, considering that I was devastated.
How did your husband of seven years, Kurt Iswarienko, handle it?
A pivotal moment for me was when I was deathly ill from the chemo. They were worried about my organs shutting down because I couldn’t keep anything in. One time, I couldn’t lift my head, I couldn’t suck on an ice cube, I was done. And Kurt was crying, saying, “Please don’t leave me.” I looked at him and thought, “I can’t do this to him.” So I dug deep, gathered everything up, and charged forward again. Kurt and I got through one of the worst things a couple can go through, and we came out stronger.
Read More
