Shannen Doherty Shares 'Not Pretty' But 'Truthful' Photos From Her Cancer Journey

Published October 8, 2021

Over the past year, fans of TV star Shannen Doherty have kept a grim vigil over updates of the actress' life in the wake of the revelation that she was diagnosed with stage four cancer back in February of 2020.

And while Doherty has said that she's committed to fighting the disease just as she did when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, it's hard not to be worried in the face of such unfavorable odds.

For the most part, Doherty has kept the granular details of her battle understandably private, but a recent post on Instagram demonstrates that she now sees some significant value in giving us all a peek behind the curtain.

On October 7, Doherty made an Instagram post in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

In it, she pledged to show more of her personal journey spanning from her first diagnosis to her second one.

As she put it, "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."

In the first of the two photos she shared, she was depicted with a bloody tissue placed in her nostril.

Instagram | @theshando

Judging by her caption, this was taken after her first diagnosis, which led her to seek a mastectomy as well as chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Although she was unsure if this was a common symptom, she said that the chemo gave her frequent nosebleeds. And as is commonly reported, she also said it left her "beyond tired."

Her second photo shows her sleeping in some coordinated Cookie Monster pyjamas, which she said were a gift from her friend Kristy.

Instagram | @theshando

Doherty had intended to wear them to cheer herself up and she said that they helped a lot. This was because she thought she looked ridiculous in them, which helped her laugh at herself.

In her words, "Finding humor helped get me thru what seemed impossible. I hope we all find humor in the impossible."

And while showing us what cancer really looks like and encouraging us to find humor in the impossible were some of her goals for posting these photos, they aren't the only ones.

Her caption also stated that she's hoping to compel others to take preventative measures against their own cancer risks.

As she wrote, "I hope I encourage people to get mammograms, to get regular checkups, to cut thru the fear and face whatever might be in front of you."

h/t: Instagram | @theshando

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