Shannen Doherty Details "Horrible Reaction" After Brain Tumor Surgery

Shannen Doherty is sharing some of the hardest parts of her battle with cancer.

The Beverly Hills, 90210 alum was first diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2015, though the disease has since spread to her brain and, most recently, her bones.

As part of her treatment, Doherty underwent radiation and surgery earlier this year to remove a brain tumor, which she called "one of the scariest things I've ever been through in my entire life" during an interview with People published Nov. 29. 

Following the procedure, the 52-year-old was put on multiple steroids to "take down any brain swelling," but she experienced some difficult side effects.

"I have a horrible reaction with steroids," the Charmed star shared, "so I tried to cut it down, and then the brain would swell a little bit more, and the hand would stop working completely."

For about three months, she was not able to hold a glass or a fork in her right hand.

"The first time a glass slipped right through my hand," she recalled, "I was like, 'No, no, no, no, no. This is not happening. I am going to work on this.' And so, I did."

Despite the challenges, Doherty is keeping a positive mindset.

"We persevere through all sorts of crazy stuff, right?" she said. "It takes perseverance, a lot of dedication and faith to get through certain things. I'm not a quitter." 

Doherty went into remission in 2017, but her cancer returned in 2019 and was categorized as stage 4. By January 2023, scans showed that it had progressed to her brain.

Her family and friends have praised her strength as she continues to battle the illness, with former costar Brian Austin Green telling E! News in September that the actress was doing as "great" as can be.

"She's resilient," he noted. "I mean, if anybody that I know is going to have to deal with what she's dealing with, she's the one that can get through it." 

And she plans to, telling People, "I'm not done with living. I'm not done with loving. I'm not done with creating. I'm not done with hopefully changing things for the better. I'm just not—I'm not done." 

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