Comfort While Grieving
- The loss of Shannen Doherty, who died on July 13 of stage 4 metastatic breast cancer at age 53, affected fans and loved ones from around the world, and the cancer community was hit particularly hard by this profound loss, but most of all, her mother, Rosa Doherty, lovingly known as “Mama Rosa.”
- The late Beverly Hills, 90210 star’s doctor and close pal, Dr. Lawrence Piro, has given an update on how Mama Rose is coping in the grieving process, and shares how her daughter’s dedicated fan base has been bringing her a “great sense of peacefulness.”
- After the death of a loved one or someone you looked up to, it’s key to remember that grief may look different for everyone. The stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. These labels help us frame and identify what we may be feeling. These stages can also occur in any order.
- As far as your own cancer journey, not matter what stage you are, don’t give up. There are more and more options becoming available for patients to manage symptoms of advanced stage disease, and it’s best to talk about specific treatment plans and what is best for you with your own doctor. Shannen gave people going through cancer hope, and despite her passing — which can be especially devastating for other late stage survivors — it’s important to keep going.
The late Beverly Hills, 90210 star’s doctor and close pal, Dr. Lawrence Piro, has given an update on how “Mama Rose” (as she is lovingly known) is coping in the grieving process, and shares how her daughter’s dedicated fan base has been bringing her a “great sense of peacefulness.”
Read More
Dr. Piro continued, “And so I should express that to you, you know, on her behalf. She wanted me to express that, because it’s very meaninful to her and it’s a great sense of … sort of peacefulness and recognition really.”
When you lose someone, to know they’re loved and recognized by so many people, it’s a great consolation,” he added.
Shannen Doherty’s Message and Fight
Shannen was over four years into her advanced stage diagnosis and had gained a powerful voice in the health space with her Let’s Be Clear podcast, which she started last January, holding nothing back as she aired out past personal struggles in her career and love live, and candidly spoke of her day-to-day fight.
“This is what I am currently facing. #cancer #life,” the Memphis native, who lived in Malibu, California for many years until the time of her death, captioned what would be her last video post.
The day the world woke up to the tragic news, comments came pouring in on Instagram for the late pop culture icon.
“Rest in peace. I’m donating to metavivor today in your honor,” one fan commented, while actress Selma Blair shared: “Thank you for showing us how to keep going.”
CEO Alana Stewart — who runs the Farrah Fawcett Foundation in honor of her late best friend’s cancer mission — wrote, “God bless you, you’re an amazing inspiration.”
How to Cope After Losing a Loved One to Cancer
After the death of a loved one or someone you looked up to, it’s key to remember that grief may look different for everyone.
Everyone is entitled to their feelings, and yes, the emotions are real, even if you consider yourself “just a fan.”
The stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. These labels help us frame and identify what we may be feeling. These stages can also occur in any order.
The time it takes to navigate these stages can also vary, so giving yourself grace and patience is essential while navigating your feelings.
“It often gets better over time, but on certain days, it can look like depression, and on other days, people look perfectly normal and can function,” Dr. Scott Irwin, a board-certified psychiatrist and Director of Supportive Care Services at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, previously told SurvivorNet.
Dr. Irwin added that grieving people are coming to terms with “the change in their life; the future they had imagined is now different.”
Understanding Metastatic Breast Cancer
Stage 4, or metastatic breast cancer, means that the cancer has spread to distant areas of the body. Even though there is currently no cure for metastatic breast cancer, doctors have many options to treat this advanced stage of breast cancer.
Hormone therapy, chemotherapy and targeted drugs are all options to talk to her doctor about, depending on your individual needs. Sometimes surgery and/or radiation is considered as part of the treatment, but mainly it is important to focus on improving your quality of life.
Dr. Erica Mayer, a medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, says clinical trials have shown that hormone medicines are more effective when paired with targeted therapies. At some point, chemotherapy will be introduced. And according to Dr. Mayer, it’s delivered at a dose and schedule that’s as well-tolerated as possible.
“We are so lucky in breast cancer that we have so many effective and well-tolerated treatments,” Dr. Mayer previously told SurvivorNet. I’m so gratified to see that patients are doing better and living longer today with metastatic breast cancer than they have ever done before.”
Bottom line, there are more and more options becoming available for patients to manage symptoms of advanced stage disease, and it’s best to talk about specific treatment plans and what is best for you with your own doctor.
Treating Metastatic Breast Cancer
With metastatic breast cancer, the primary goal of treatment is to control its spread. SurvivorNet offers information about what those options are from targeted therapies to chemotherapy and when these various treatment options can be used.
We also provide information on new, exciting research that is currently being tested in clinical trials and information about when recently approved drugs, like immunotherapies, can be used.
For help finding a clinical trial that may be right for you or a loved one, try our easy-to-use Clinical Trial Finder.
While there have been many developments in recent years when it comes to treating late-stage breast cancer, which therapies can be used will depend on the characteristics of the patient’s cancer.
What are the treatment options for late-stage breast cancer?
“Metastatic breast cancer is a treatable disease,” Dr. Kenneth D. Miller, medical oncologist at the Alvin & Lois Lapidus Cancer Institute at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore shared in a pior interview with SurvivorNet.
“Fortunately, we have so many new treatments for women with recurrent breast cancer and for many women who look at this as a chronic disease that they can live with — often for many years.”
Dr. Piro’s Important Message
Dr. Piro is the President and CEO of The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute in Los Angeles, which is a Cedars-Sinai affiliate. He is board-certified in oncology and internal medicine, and is an expert in the field of hematologic malignancies. Dr. Piro is also a clinical professor at the USC Keck School of Medicine.
His philosophy, both as a doctor and a human, is to talk to each patient as a person. Establishing an authentic relationship with a patient and taking care to communicate in a thoughtful way should be a priority at that first meeting, Dr. Piro has previously shared with SurvivorNet.
“People will run away from the disease and the treatment if they are too afraid of it and they’re going to have fear if they aren’t learning about it in a way that makes them comfortable.”
‘You’re a person not a patient’
With Shannen fighting for so many years, it is not surprising that Dr. Piro was in the Charmed star’s close circle. A doctor should always make you feel comforted and knowledgeable about what you are up against as a patient. The way she fought, lived and loved is so admirable, and why she has brought so much hope to others fighting this disease.
Understandably, the loss is immense, but it is how Shannen lived so passionately, especially with her deep care for animals, that should continue to inspire us all. Dr. Piro said that Mama Rosa is caring for her daughter’s pups. “She lives in Shannen’s house and she’s taking care of the dogs and doing all the things that she did before.”
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
