Shannen Doherty shares video showing moments before she had a tumor removed from her head
Shannen Doherty took to social media on Wednesday to offer more insight into her ongoing battle with cancer.
The 52-year-old 90210 Beverly Hills alum — who recently revealed she’s now battling brain cancer — uploaded a video clip showing her talking to a medical professional before undergoing surgery to have a tumor removed from her head .
Engaging her 2 million Instagram followers, she writes along with the outtake, “January 16, 2023. Surgery. I had a tumor in my head that they wanted to remove and also a biopsy. I’m obviously trying to be brave, but I’m terrified.”
Shannen was shown in a hospital bed, dressed in a gown and a cap over her hair, and appeared to be in good spirits before being put under anesthesia.
Her caption went on to say, “This is what cancer can look like.”
Staying strong: Shannen Doherty took to social media on Wednesday to offer more insight into her ongoing battle with cancer; pictured in 2019
Life-changing: The 52-year-old Beverly Hills 90210 alum — who recently revealed she’s now battling brain cancer — uploaded a video clip showing her speaking to a medical professional before having a tumor removed from her head
Elsewhere in the caption, Shannen said, “The fear was overwhelming for me. Afraid of all possible bad outcomes, worried about leaving my mother and how it would affect her. Worried about coming out of surgery, I don’t anymore.”
It comes after the actress had a CT scan on Jan. 5 that showed cancer cells had spread from their original site to her brain – known as “brain metastases.”
Breast cancer is one of the cancers most likely to lead to brain metastases that can cause a tumor or tumors in the brain, states the Mayo clinic.
Shannen explained that she underwent her first round of radiation therapy on Jan. 12 and is scared despite having a “great” medical team.
Accompanying her post was a heartbreaking clip of her crying as she underwent cancer treatment at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
“January 12, 2023,” the caption began. “On January 5, my CT scan showed Mets in my brain.”
She then referenced a video clip showing her getting an MRI.
The star explained it’s part of the “process of adjusting the mask you wear during your brain irradiation.”
The actress, 52, had a CT scan on January 5 that showed cancer cells had spread from their original site to her brain – what are known as ‘brain metastases’
In the clip, Shannen lay down as doctors placed a blue mold over her face and head. They had her bite to make sure it adhered to her mouth and chin.
Shannen began to cry as they held down the edges of the mask and pinned them to a board behind her head before placing her in the machine.
The actress continued: “January 12, the first round of radiation took place. My fear is clear.’
Radiation treatment uses “energy beams to destroy cancer cells” and can “target all or part of the brain, depending on a person’s diagnosis,” according to NYU Langone Health.
“I am extremely claustrophobic and a lot has happened in my life,” Shannen wrote. “I’m lucky to have great doctors like Dr. Amin Mirahdi and the great technicians at Cedar Sinai.
Radiation: Shannen explained that she underwent her first radiation therapy on Jan. 12 and is still scared despite having a “great” medical team
Breast cancer is one of the cancers most likely to lead to brain metastases that can cause a tumor or tumors in the brain, according to the Mayo Clinic
Emotional: Accompanying her message was a heartbreaking clip of her crying as she underwent cancer treatment at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles
But that fear…. The turmoil….. the timing of it all…. This is what cancer can look like,” she concluded.
Earlier this year, Doherty accused SAG-AFTRA of canceling her health insurance in March because of her income level.
The agency’s website reveals, “You must earn $26,470 in your basic income period to receive Earned Eligibility for Active Plan health coverage.”
In an Instagram post shared on March 9, Shannen took aim at both SAG-AFTRA and its president Fran Drescher, a cancer patient who describes himself as “anti-capitalist.”
Shannen argued: ‘Health insurance should not be based on annual income. It is a lifetime contribution. And for me and many others, we paid a lifetime membership fee only to be canceled because we don’t meet your current criteria. Not OK.’
Shannen learned she had stage IV breast cancer in 2020 – after being first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015.
She shared with GMA at the time that the cancer had come back aggressively.