Shannen Doherty is an undeniably brave woman. After her her cancer returned in 2020, she took it upon herself to share her experience of the treatment she had to endure. It is an unpleasant process, to say the least. One that has a massive impact on the body. She wished for people to understand it in more recognizable terms, as there is so much fear surrounding it. Rightly so, in many cases. Luckily for Shannen, she came out the other side, shining just as brightly as the star she is and always will be.

For many people, the prospect of cancer is a terrifying thing. A diagnosis they live in fear of receiving leads them to imagine the worst-case scenario. For others, it is a reality they are living with. Not many people truly understand what it’s like unless you have had a loved one who underwent cancer treatment. Thank to Shannen Doherty and her bravery in sharing such a raw and honest view of her cancer experience, more people can understand the grueling process that the treatments put you through.

Last year in October (2021), Shannen started posting her journey with breast cancer on her Instagram page. This wasn’t something she had done before. At least, not in detail. “Even though her cancer journey had started in 2015, back then, her breast cancer went into remission, only for it to return in 2020 as stage four breast cancer. So, in honor of breast cancer awareness month, she decided to share her personal journey. With all the not-so-pretty aspects included. “For breast cancer awareness month, I’d like to share more of my own personal journey from my first diagnosis to my second,” she wrote, in part. “Is it all pretty? NO but it’s truthful and my hope in sharing is that we all become more educated, more familiar with what cancer looks like.”