Finding Joy Through Cancer and Divorce
- Actress Shannen Doherty recently shared a funny quote for her Instagram followers amid her stage four breast cancer battle and her divorce from her husband.
- Doherty was first diagnosed with cancer in 2015.
- Cancer is not a funny thing. But that doesn’t mean you can’t turn to humor to help you through the hardship you’re facing.
- One Hodgkin lymphoma survivor started making bluntly humorous stickers for cancer patients after she dealt with a reoccurrence just a year after her initial diagnosis.
- Another breast cancer survivor wrote a funny "dramedy" while she was on bed rest following breast reconstruction.
Doherty is best known for her notable portrayals in the television drama "Beverly Hills, 90210," the teen comedy "Heathers" and the fantasy drama show "Charmed." So, wit is no foreign concept.
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The quote might seem cynical at first, but Doherty makes sure to share a laughing emoji next to it likely as a way of reminding followers that there can be humor in truth.
Doherty also likes to share fun and joyful videos on Instagram to bright up her and her followers’ days.
Laughter During Cancer
- ‘You Can’t Cancer and Chill’: Comedian and Cancer Survivor Quincy Jones Uses Humor to Point Out Absurdities in Healthcare System
- Taking on Cancer With Grace and Humor — Siblings Reflect on Their Mom’s Strength as She Faced Breast Cancer
- You Can Go Through This Ultimate Challenge With Humor, Dignity, and Love: Stan Adler’s Cancer Story
Shannen Doherty’s Cancer Battle
Shannen Doherty was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 after finding a lump in her breast.
After treatments including hormone therapy, a single mastectomy (the removal of all breast tissue from one breast), chemotherapy and radiation, she achieved remission in 2017.
But her cancer would soon return.
“As every single one of my fellow cancer family knows, the next five years is crucial,” she wrote after announcing her remission status in April 2017.
“Reoccurrences happen all the time. Many of you have shared that very story with me. So with a heart that is certainly lighter, I wait.
“I’m going to just breathe.”
Sadly, Doherty’s cancer returned in 2019. This time her breast cancer diagnosis was stage four, or metastatic.
Metastatic breast cancer occurs when the disease has spread, or metastasized, beyond the breasts to other parts of the body. It most often spreads to the bones, liver and lungs, but it can also spread to places like the brain or other organs.
When patients reach this stage of the disease there is technically no cure, but there are many people who live well with the disease for many years thanks to hormone therapy, chemotherapy, targeted drugs and immunotherapy, as well as a combination of treatments.
"With advanced disease, the goal of treatment is to keep you as stable as possible, slow the tumor growth and improve your quality of life," SurvivorNet advisor Dr. Elizabeth Comen, an oncologist with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, said about metastatic breast cancer management.
"I treat women day in and day out who have metastatic breast cancer, and I see the fear in their eyes, and I also see the hope in their eyes.
"And I share in that hope. Why do I share in that hope? Because I have so many patients who are living with their cancer… It isn't just about living, but living well."
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It’s unclear exactly where Doherty is with treatments at the moment, but we know she’s determined to fight the disease with all her might.
"I'm going to keep fighting to stay alive," Doherty said in a 2021 update. "I am on my first [treatment] protocol, which is a very, very big thing.
"So, it's kind of like you just want to last on your protocols as long as possible so that you don't run out of protocols."
In a short, but more recent, update, Doherty even told fans she was "feeling great" at That's4Entertainment's 90s Con 2023 in March 2023.
And in April 2023, Doherty’s representative announced that she was divorcing husband Kurt Iswarienko, likely adding to the “never ending” sentiment she shared in her recent Instagram story.
However, people close to her reportedly described her as a “tough cookie” amid these hardships, showing that she is facing these challenges with strength and perseverence.
Humor During a Cancer Battle
Cancer is not a funny thing. But that doesn’t mean you can’t turn to humor to help you through the hardship you’re facing.
Just ask Chelsey Gomez.
After Gomez discovered her Hodgkin lymphoma had relapsed just a year after her initial diagnosis arrived, she was fired from her job.
The tears flowed and the hard worker took some time to process everything, but she eventually turned to TikTok to share a blunt video about the experience that went viral. From there, she decided to use her creative talents to sell humorous stickers to other cancer patients.
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“I was sick and tired of seeing only cancer products that said, you’re strong, you’re so brave, you’re amazing,” she said.
“The first product I ever made was ‘my lymph nodes are an asshole’ because that’s how I felt about them.
“Like, my lymph nodes have caused me cancer twice. They’re supposed to be nice for everyone else, but mine are an asshole.”
Stand-up comedian Jenny Saldana also found comfort in humor during her cancer battle. She even jokes, “If it wasn't for cancer [she’d] suck at comedy” because her parents love her.
Jenny Saldana Found Humor in Her Cancer Journey, And Turned it into a "Dramedy"
Leaning into her talent for wit, she wrote a play about her breast cancer experience while on bed rest after breast reconstruction. The finished product was a story that touched many people when she toured it across the United States.
"The play is actually a dramedy," she said. "There are a lot of funny moments in it.
"But it's about the struggle of finding your new normal, when you go through something like this."
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