Shannen Doherty Is ‘A Warrior’ Amid Brain & Breast Cancer Battle, Friend Sarah Michelle Gellar Says

Sarah Michelle Gellar shared an update on her friend Shannen Doherty about her battle with cancer, describing her as a “warrior.” 

“When they say a warrior, she is a warrior. She lives every day and she’s fighting,” she told Access Hollywood. “There are ups and downs and there are days that are harder than others and there are some days that are easy, but she’s doing great.”

Doherty was first diagnosed back in 2015 with breast cancer but had gone into remission in 2017. Three years later, she shared that her cancer had come back and that it now was stage 4 breast cancer. 

After Doherty publicly shared her diagnosis, Gellar supported her through an Instagram post where she wrote, “Life is tough… but you are tougher.” 

Doherty revealed in June that the cancer had spread to her brain and she required brain surgery in order to remove a tumor.

She shared a series of posts revealing her diagnosis, including her getting a CT scan and getting fitted for a mask while she undergoes radiation in preparation for surgery. 

In one of the videos, she explained what was happening before her surgery with the caption.

“January 16, 2023. Surgery. I had a tumor in my head they wanted to remove and also a biopsy,” she wrote. “I am clearly trying to be brave but I am petrified.… The fear was overwhelming to me. Scared of all possible bad outcomes, worried about leaving my mom and how that would impact her. Worried that I would come out of surgery not me anymore. This is what cancer looks like.”

She recently posted a selfie of herself on October 16 where she wrote a personal update to fans.

​​”Today has been a hard day. Obvious reasons and not so obvious reasons,” the actress wrote. “But every day I pick myself up and hope that I do better. That people do better. That what’s obvious is not so convoluted. While I send myself love and peace, I also send love to every single one of you. Even those that have threatened me in the last week. May God be in your hearts.”