Friendship Through Cancer
- As actress Shannen Doherty continues battling metastatic breast cancer, she knows the importance of milestones and celebrating them with her loved ones. She turned 53 on April 12 and enjoyed the day alongside model Anne Marie Kortright Martinez and actress Sarah Michelle Gellar.
- Doherty was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. It went into remission in 2017 but returned as stage 4 cancer in 2019. Her breast cancer has since spread to her brain causing her to undergo surgery to remove a tumor in her brain.
- Metastatic breast cancer also called “stage four” breast cancer means that the cancer has spread, or metastasized, beyond the breasts to other parts of the body. There is technically no cure, but advancements in treatments can dramatically improve outcomes and that is something to be hopeful for.
- Supporting a friend or loved one with cancer can be hard. SurvivorNet suggests offering concrete ways to show the cancer warrior you care, allowing them to talk through their negative emotions with you, cooking them a healthy meal that they’ll enjoy, doing activities with them that will lift their spirits and working to better understand their diagnosis if you’re taking on more of a full-time caregiver role.
Doherty, who has been battling stage 4 (metastatic) breast cancer since 2019 and revealed last year that the disease had spread to her brain, turned 53 on Friday, April 12, and kicked off her new year with her friends, model Anne Marie Kortright Martinez and actress Sarah Michelle Gellar, by her side.
Read MoreOne of the photos shared on her story, was a post from 42-year-old Puerto Rican fashion model Martinez, featuring the two friends standing with their arms around each other.View this post on Instagram
Martinez captioned the birthday post, “Happy Happy Birthday to my bad ass girl. To many many more celebrations together. Love you to the moon and back! @theshando.”
Doherty’s friend Gellar, known for starring in the TV drama series, “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” also took to Instagram to post a photo for Doherty’s big day.
Gellar wrote alongside a selfie of the two of them, beaming with joy at Doherty’s birthday bash, “Happy birthday @theshando #LetsBeClear I love any reason to celebrate you.”
View this post on Instagram
The 46-year-old New York-native also shared photos to her Instagram story of Doherty’s birthday cake and a large amount of paella being cooked above a fire pit.
It appears Gellar also gave Doherty a gold-plated necklace, as the “Charmed” actress took to her Instagram story to show it off.
Even director James Cullen Bressack took to his social media to share a photo of him and Doherty, wishing her nothing but the best.
He wrote alongside the photo, shared to his Instagram story, “Happy bday to my bestie @theshando. Words don’t describe how much I love you!”
Not only did friends take to social media to honor Doherty turning 53, the animal rights nonprofit organization group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is an American) also celebrated her birthday, with a victorious post revealing they named a rescued horse after her.
“On this special day, we celebrate the remarkable compassion of @theshando!” PETA captioned the post, showing a photo Doherty and a horse.
“Despite her battles, she’s always dreamed of helping animals. In her honor, PETA is naming a rescued horse after her at @animalrahat. Happy Birthday, Shannen! Your kindness inspires us all”
Doherty ultimately reshared the heartwarming news on her Instagram story, saying, “Thank you.”
View this post on Instagram
The Support of Friendship During Cancer
It’s no secret that fighting cancer can be overwhelming, so having physical and emotional support from friends during your battle as Shannen Doherty shows she does is huge. Thankfully, it seems that Doherty has been able to live her life to the fullest with supportive loved ones by her side.
Licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin says having people by your side during this “arduous chapter” of your life can be very beneficial.
“Studies have found consistently that loneliness is a significant risk factor for physical and mental illnesses and the trajectory of recovery,” she wrote in a column for SurvivorNet. “Therefore, it will be important that you surround yourself with individuals who care and support you throughout your treatment.”
That being said, it’s very important to know your limits on what you can handle during treatment.
“Going through treatment is a very vulnerable and emotionally exhausting experience,” she wrote. “Noticing what you have strength for and what is feeling like too much [is] extremely important to pay attention to as you navigate treatment.”
Bianca Muniz is both an ovarian and breast cancer survivor. She told SurvivorNet some of her friendships ended because certain people just couldn’t understand what she was going through.
Two-time Cancer Survivor Bianca Muniz On How She Found a Support System Amid Treatment
“I’ve lost a lot of friends because people don’t really know how to deal with what I’m going through,” she told SurvivorNet. “I didn’t care to talk about what was happening with me. I just wanted things to be normal and they didn’t really understand how to do that.”
But many people do see their friendships flourish during their cancer journey. For Monica Layton, it was the friendships and community of her church congregation that really gave her the support she needed during her ovarian cancer battle.
“[I’ve] gone to the same church for a long time, so it’s like another family that really supports me,” she told SurvivorNet in a previous interview. “We’re Episcopalian, and when I was having surgery my priest came to the hospital and stayed and prayed with my family the whole time and it was a long surgery. And then he came back to the hospital every day to pray with me.”
In addition to praying for her, Layton’s church also sent flowers, cards and a prayer blanket and often visited her. “They were so kind,” Layton said. “I think my faith has been very important, crucial for me. Just the prayer really helps, I think.”
Psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik does say some cancer warriors may need to look beyond their existing relationships to find the support they need.
Seeking Support: The First 3 Things to Do after a Cancer Diagnosis
“Some people don’t need to go outside of their family and friends circle. They feel like they have enough support there,” Dr. Plutchik told SurvivorNet. “But for people who feel like they need a little bit more, it is important to reach out to a mental health professional.”
Dr. Plutchik says it’s best to find a mental health professional with experience aiding people undergoing cancer treatment.
Sometimes Bad Things Happen — Enjoying Life, Even With Cancer
“Make sure that the mental health professional that you work it is reaching out with your consent to the rest of your team, to the oncologist, to the surgeon,” she said. “It can also be helpful to reach out to family, friends, and any other caretakers that may be involved in the person’s treatment.”
In addition to living with cancer, Doherty is also navigating through divorce from her long-time husband Kurt Iswarienko, another topic the typically private star has been candid about with her new podcast venture as her support system rallies even closer around her.
In a recent interview, Doherty’s costar and friend Brian Austin Green described the actress as “a fighter.”
“She’s a fighter. She’s been facing challenges over the last, gosh, decade now that are just, they’re difficult things,” Green said on the Oldish podcast.
“She is absolutely leading by example and showing people that even in the toughest of times, you can keep your head up and you can be a good person…and she is, she’s an amazing person, and I think she’s an inspiration for people, she should be.”
Doherty’s best friend Chris Cortazzo, a Malibu-based real estate powerhouse, also makes up a lot of Doherty’s Instagram feed, with trips to Vegas and Mexico and low-key hangs on the Southern California coast, where Doherty also lives.
Shannen Doherty’s Cancer Battle
Shannen Doherty was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 after she discovered a lump in her breast. For treatment the first time around, she underwent hormone therapy, a single mastectomy (the removal of all breast tissue from one breast), chemotherapy and radiation.
In 2017, Doherty was deemed to be in remission, however, the cancer returned just two years later in 2019. The cancer had spread to other parts of her body making it a metastatic, or stage four, cancer diagnosis.
Expert Metastatic Breast Cancer Resources
- Understanding Gene Mutations in Your Metastatic Breast Cancer Diagnosis Is Crucial to Your Treatment
- Advances in Metastatic Breast Cancer Treatments Over the Last Year Offer New Hope for Those Fighting
- Metastatic Breast Cancer: You Are Not a Statistic
- Have You Been Diagnosed With Late-Stage Breast Cancer? Know That You Have Treatment Options.
- PARP Inhibitors Provide New Promise for Certain Metastatic Breast Cancers
Treating Metastatic Breast Cancer
Then early last year, Doherty’s breast cancer spread to her brain. She underwent surgery to remove the tumor. but despite her health struggles she hasn’t lost hope, continues working and pursuing her dreams while still making time for friends and family.
There is technically no cure for metastatic breast cancer, but that doesn’t mean people can’t live fully with this stage of disease, thanks to hormone therapy, chemotherapy, targeted drugs and immunotherapy, as well as a combination of treatments.
Reaching Milestones as a Cancer Survivor
Reaching milestones after during or after a cancer battle, or after life changes made to reduce the risk of cancer, is huge. These events like getting engaged, married, or turning another year older like Shannen Doherty just celebrated may mean even more than they did previously, so it’s important to take them all in and celebrate all that you’ve overcome.
I’m Able to Be Here For More Milestones One Cancer Survivor’s Incredible Story
Chrissy Degennaro, a cancer warrior determined to keep enjoying these precious milestones, is a great example of this. She has been battling a rare blood cancer called multiple myeloma for 14 years, and was first diagnosed when she was just 36 years old with a 2-year-old son.
When she was diagnosed, she almost expected to not be able to see him enter kindergarten. But thanks to 27 rounds of chemotherapy, two stem cell transplants, a CAR-T cell trial and two CAR-T cell transplants over following 14 years, she’s able to keep making memories with her family.
“You know, I do live one day at a time,” Chrissy previously told SurvivorNet. “Now, maybe I can go a week, a month, but things are looking pretty good. I’m able to be here for more milestones for my son, for more holidays, more birthdays. I do feel like I have had another chance at life.”
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.