Celebrating Resilience During Cancer
- Actress Shannen Doherty, 52, is three months removed from filing for divorce from her husband Kurt Iswarienko.
- It seems from her social media posts, she remains resilient despite battling tough stage 4 breast cancer treatments while dealing with her divorce.
- She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. It went into remission in 2017 but returned as stage 4 cancer in 2019.
- Doherty's representative said divorce was "the last thing" the actress wanted. She split from her former husband around the same time she underwent radiation treatment and brain surgery because her stage 4 metastatic breast cancer spread to her brain.
- Patients with cancer in their brain who undergo surgery may experience side effects that range from weakness to headaches, and seizures. The good news is advancements in treatment are allowing patients living with an incurable stage 4 cancer like Doherty to live longer.
- Despite her challenges, the "Charmed" actress appears to be enjoying life in recent weeks. She was photographed smiling as she made her way to a restaurant in Malibu, California.
- Cancer patients oftentimes find themselves navigating a wide range of emotions that impact their mental health. When it comes to dealing with anxiety and stress, psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin says it's important to have a healthy relationship with your anxiety and get to know it rather than fear it, avoid it, or push it away.
Actress Shannen Doherty, 52, is determined not to give up despite fighting stage 4 breast cancer and wrangling with a divorce. She’s undergone brain surgery due to her cancer and filed for divorce from her long-time husband Kurt Iswarienko so far this year. While we don’t know all aspects of her cancer journey and the lead-up to her divorce, we do know the impact overcoming adversity can have on a person’s mental health and resilience.
Doherty, 52, became a household name after she grabbed the hearts and minds of TV viewers of "Beverly Hills 90210" portraying Brenda Walsh. She also starred in "Charmed" during the 1990s. Off-screen, in the years that followed the beloved actress was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. It went into remission in 2017 but returned as stage 4 (or metastatic) in 2019. Metastatic cancer, for which there is no cure, means it has spread to distant areas of the body, like the bones, liver, lungs, or brain.
Read MoreShe shared a series of photos and videos of her getting prepared for radiation treatment on her head. During radiation, high-energy beams are aimed at the location doctors believe cancer cells to be. The MRI helps doctors pinpoint the exact location of the tumor within the skull.
She also underwent a craniotomy brain surgery where doctors worked to remove cancer from her brain.
"We take off the bone overlaying the area we need to get to. We open the little envelope around the brain called the dura and then we move through the brain tissue to get to where the tumor is to try to cut out as much as we can safely without hurting the patient's function or other important things like big blood vessels that can cause things like a stroke," says board-certified neurosurgeon at Emory University School of Medicine Dr. Kimberly Hoang.
After the procedure, the patient is closely monitored and usually receives radiation to keep the tumor from growing back.
"Because many patients can have more than one brain tumor or metastasis from their cancer, that was not reasonable to think about surgery for, they also get radiation for those spots as well to try to keep those tumors from growing or shrink them down," Dr. Hoang further explained to SurvivorNet.
Doherty's prognosis after having surgery to remove cancer from her brain is an encouraging sign of progress several neurosurgeons tell SurvivorNet.
"A couple of decades ago, to have a brain metastasis was a very bad prognosis for patients. They didn't live for more than a couple of months, so it was a very terminal thing. Thanks to a lot of advancements in microsurgery we do and radiation…patients are living longer," Dr. Hoang said.
Charmed star Shannen Doherty is seen for the first time since announcing her cancer has spreadhttps://t.co/ZahCw47tL2 pic.twitter.com/7CIJbz76AA
Mirror Celeb (@MirrorCeleb) June 23, 2023
Despite the tumultuous and emotional year, the "90210" actress has endured so far, she remains resilient. In late June, a photo captured Doherty all smiles appearing to be enjoying life while at a restaurant in Malibu, California.
How to be Resilient in the Face of Adversity
Doherty's health journey had an impact on strengthening her resilience in the face of adversity. She's been hit with tough cancer treatments and a divorce this year alone yet she's still holding her head high while boasting a smile.
Resilience is an important trait to have in the face of adversity such as cancer.
WATCH: Resilience: Staying Positive Despite Adversity
SurvivorNet spotlighted this important cancer-fighting trait in the film "Resilience," now streaming on SurvivorNet. It follows the lives of three athletes who are living with a health challenge yet overcame adversity.
You can build resilience the way you build muscle through patience and steady exercise of the skill. Here are some lessons taken from Fischer, Runkel, and Soller:
- Be willing to learn. If one way doesn't work, find a different way. If an obstacle lands in your way, build a path around it or over it.
- Spend time with people who inspire you.
- Allow yourself to grieve. Don't push away or dismiss your frustration and sadness. Give yourself grace when your emotions run high.
- Be flexible. Understand there are multiple ways to accomplish a goal. If your original method does not work, find another.
- Lean into your community. Consider using your support group made up of your friends, colleagues, and family. Remember when you're feeling stressed or overwhelmed by a problem, their support can carry you.
Maintaining Good Mental Health Amid Cancer
Battling cancer comes with a ton of emotions. These can range from "anxiety, depression, financial toxicity, social isolation, and PTSD," SurvivorNet expert and researcher at Moffitt Cancer Center Dr. Shelly Tworoger says.
Psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin shared some simple tips to help you maintain good mental health and reduce stress amid adversity.
When it comes to dealing with anxiety, Dr. Strongin says it's important to have a healthy relationship with your anxiety and get to know it rather than fear it, avoid it, or push it away.
"By learning more about your anxious thoughts and tendencies, one can begin to answer their anxious thoughts even in moments when there aren't any answers. For cancer patients, the worry thoughts tend to be, "Will I survive?" It's important to let those thoughts come in and really be able to tolerate them before answering them. This is a very powerful coping skill," Dr. Strongin explained.
Dr. Strongin suggests medications to help with anxiety and depression if other approaches are not as effective. She also urges cancer warriors to explore telemedicine.
Questions to Ask Your Doctor
If you find yourself struggling with a diagnosis or helping a loved one cope with their emotions, consider asking your doctor the following questions:
- How can I go about improving my outlook/mental health?
- Are there any activities I can do to encourage positive feelings?
- When should I seek other interventions if I'm still struggling?
- What are the steps to finding a different therapist if the one I'm using is not working out?
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.