Remembering The Good Times
- As Shannen Doherty battles metastatic breast cancer, she’s taken time to remember acting in the 1995 American comedy film Mallrats.
- We’re happy to see Doherty share such a sweet throwback photo on her Instagram, as the Tennessee native has been through a lot this year, between undergoing brain surgery due to metastatic breast cancer spreading to her head and filing for divorce from Kurt Iswarienko months later.
- We love how Doherty is maintaining an optimistic attitude, which is apparent by her sharing throwback photos on social media. Anecdotal evidence from SurvivorNet experts points to how a positive mindset and gratitude can positively impact a cancer prognosis.
- One oncologist at Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Zuri Murrell, told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview, “I'm pretty good at telling what kind of patient are going to still have this attitude and probably going to live the longest, even with bad, bad disease. And those are patients who … have gratitude in life."
We’re happy to see Doherty share such a sweet throwback photo on her Instagram, as the Tennessee native has been through a lot this year, between undergoing brain surgery due to metastatic breast cancer spreading to her head and filing for divorce from Kurt Iswarienko months later.
“Look at the size of my calves. You can fit @jasonlee in one and @theshando in the other.”
Smith, who acted as Silent Bob in the movie and directed the film, is pictured in between Lee and Doherty, along with two other actors, including Jeremy London, who played T.S. Quint.
Fans praised the movie in the comments section of Smith’s post, with one writing, “This movie changed my life. It's in my top 10 all time favorites. To this day there are things that trigger a Mallrats reference on the regular…escalators, food courts, the Hartford whalers, a dirt mall, a Volkswagen, and I became a life long Kevin Smith fan!”
Another fan commented, “I was at the Eden Prairie mall yesterday and had to point out to my wife that a cinematic masterpiece was filmed there.”
Mallrats set photo, circa 1995.
Look at the size of my calves. pic.twitter.com/tSmYXkFdVg— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) August 6, 2023
According to a video interview from the Bobbie Wygant Archive, Smith described the movie as a comic book to the interviewer and Doherty admitted she doesn’t ever read comics, but instead enjoys reading the business section of newspapers.
When Doherty was asked if she could normally walk into a mall and go in and out of the shops, like her character in Mallrats does, Doherty said, “I never would. You know, there’s not too much interest on my part in going to hang out in the mall for absolutely no reason. Usually if I go to the mall it’s for a purpose … I don’t wander aimlessly through malls.”
She also admitted she isn’t afraid to go out in public, saying people in Beverly Hills are used to seeing celebrities walk around.
In fact, it appears Doherty still holds this outlook on going out into town or to dinner, as she was recently spotted as making her way to a restaurant in Malibu, California. Doherty was seen wearing a huge smile on her face as the paparazzi captured her photos.
Shannen Doherty's Cancer Battle
Shannen Doherty was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. It went into remission in 2017 but returned as stage 4 (or metastatic) in 2019. Metastatic cancer means the disease has spread to distant areas of the body, like the bones, liver, lungs, or brain.
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In 2023, her ongoing cancer journey involved surgery and radiation.
Earlier this year, the actress shared a handful of photos and videos of her getting prepared for radiation treatment on her head. During radiation, high-energy beams are aimed at the location doctors believe cancer cells to be. The MRI helps doctors pinpoint the exact location of the tumor within the skull.
She also underwent a craniotomy brain surgery where doctors worked to remove cancer from her brain.
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"We take off the bone overlaying the area we need to get to. We open the little envelope around the brain called the dura and then we move through the brain tissue to get to where the tumor is to try to cut out as much as we can safely without hurting the patient's function or other important things like big blood vessels that can cause things like a stroke," neurosurgeon at Emory University School of Medicine, Dr. Kimberly Hoang, told SurvivorNet in a previous conversation.
After the procedure, the patient is closely monitored and usually receives radiation to keep the tumor from growing back.
"Because many patients can have more than one brain tumor or metastasis from their cancer, that was not reasonable to think about surgery for, they also get radiation for those spots as well to try to keep those tumors from growing or shrink them down," Dr. Hoang further explained.
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Doherty's prognosis after having surgery to remove cancer from her brain is an encouraging sign of progress, several neurosurgeons have told SurvivorNet.
"A couple of decades ago, to have a brain metastasis was a very bad prognosis for patients. They didn't live for more than a couple of months, so it was a very terminal thing. Thanks to a lot of advancements in microsurgery we do and radiation…patients are living longer," Dr. Hoang said.
Positivity Through Cancer & the Importance of Laughter
We love how Doherty is maintaining an optimistic attitude, even by sharing throwback photos on social media.
Anecdotal evidence from SurvivorNet experts points to how a positive mindset and gratitude can positively impact a cancer prognosis.
One oncologist at Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Zuri Murrell, told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview, "My patients who thrive, even with stage 4 cancer, from … about a month after they're diagnosed, I am pretty good at seeing who is going to be OK. Now doesn't that mean I'm good at saying that the cancer won't grow.
"But I'm pretty good at telling what kind of patient are going to still have this attitude and probably going to live the longest, even with bad, bad disease. And those are patients who … have gratitude in life."
Dr. Zuri Murrell explains why he believes a positive attitude matters.
It's also interesting to note, that according to the National Library of Medicine, research has shown that the amount of pain medication needed for patients is reduced after they watch funny movies.
And perhaps laughter, like the movie Mallrats can lead to, could also help when someone is dealing with the pain that comes amid a health challenge, whether it's any sort of health battle, like breast cancer.
The importance of positivity amid tough times has been seen through stand-up comedian Jesus Trejo in Long Beach, California.
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Trejo became a caregiver for both of his parents after his mother was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor and his father was later faced with colon cancer. But instead of panicking and focusing on the devastating nature of the situation, the only child stepped up to care for his parents with love and laughter.
In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, Trejo opened up about how he put his career aside to care for his parents in their time of need while making time to smile along the way.
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"The only advice I have for anyone watching this is laugh, and laugh often, laugh at yourself. Don't take yourself seriously. Things are already bad. Because once you do that, it's a game-changer," Trejo told SurvivorNet.
He also says the laughter itself might be brief, but “the effects of it just reverberate through your body, and can change an already bad situation into a better one.”
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Meanwhile, Dr. Dana Chase, a Gynecologic Oncologist at UCLA Health, also says it's important to try to focus on the good, stay positive, and do things that bring you joy to the degree you're able to do so amid battling a disease like cancer.
"We know, actually from good studies, that emotional health, quality of life is associated with survival, meaning better quality of life is associated with better survival, better outcomes," Dr. Chase said in an earlier interview.
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Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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