Shannen's Smile
- In a new video posted to Instagram, actress Shannen Doherty, 49, features an adorable baby (not hers) who apparently “stole” her phone.
- Shannen is battling metastatic breast cancer; this is her second bout with the disease.
- Keeping a positive attitude through the cancer journey can help, experts tell SurvivorNet.
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Shannen’s Cancer Battle
We love to see Doherty getting to spend time around little ones, as she faces her ongoing cancer battle. Doherty was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016, and following treatment, it went into remission. But in February 2020, the actress shared that her breast cancer had returned, and this time it spread to other parts of her body.
When she was first diagnosed, Doherty treated her disease with chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. She announced in 2018 that she was in remission. Chemo, radiation, and surgery are all common treatments for breast cancer.
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Staying Positive Through Cancer
Doherty has stayed so positive throughout her breast cancer battle, and we are in awe of her upbeat spirit. She has a strong support network and continues to find moments of joy while fighting cancer.
Dr. Zuri Murrell, a colorectal surgeon at Cedars-Sinai, said in a previous interview with SurvivorNet how staying positive can improve prognosis. He said, “My patients who thrive, even with stage 4 cancer, from the time that they, about a month after they’re diagnosed, I kind of am pretty good at seeing who is going to be OK. Now doesn’t that mean I’m good at saying that the cancer won’t grow. But I’m pretty good at telling what kind of patient are going to still have this attitude and probably going to live the longest, even with bad, bad disease. And those are patients who, they have gratitude in life.”
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