‘Cancer Slayer’ Shannen Doherty Says ‘Maggie’ Saved Her Life

In a recent Instagram post, Shannen Doherty captioned an image with the hashtag #CancerSlayer, giving herself that title after doubling up on her treatments and completing her entire treatment program by the end of the week. Documenting her battle against cancer, Doherty has proven she was never the typical cancer patient, setting a new bar for those suffering from cancer and giving them a positive role model to admire in their own battles. Now, Doherty talks about the great importance of staying active, even when cancer leaves the body feeling completely depleted of energy, and shares what new technologies have been the most useful.

Shannen Doherty Proves Cancer Won’t Keep Her Down

Self reports that Shannen Doherty is nearing the end of her radiation treatments, and even as the Charmed actress admits the process has been exhausting, she still forces herself to pursue an active lifestyle. In fact, Shannen says exercise and physical activities have given her an added advantage in fighting her cancer, throughout her entire ordeal. As if to provide proof of her claims, Ms. Doherty just recently posted a video of herself performing a hip hop routine in her dance class.

“You can see how tired I am here but I’m still moving! Any movement is so good during treatment, not just for the body, but for your mind as well,” Doherty wrote in the caption for the video.

Shannen isn’t speaking out of turn, either. Doherty is supported in her opinion of the positive effects of exercise by Susan Gilchrist, M.D. Self sought out Gilchrist, who is the associate professor of Clinical Cancer Prevention at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, to learn if mobility and exercise really do have a positive effect on cancer cells.

“Exercise has been shown to improve fatigue, sleep patterns, and quality of life in those undergoing cancer,” confirmed Dr. Gilchrist.

While exercise does help in the battle against cancer, it also prepares the body for a quicker return to living a full life, once the cancer has been neutralized. Overall, maintaining a physically active lifestyle reduces the risks of contracting cancer, as well as improving the chances of outliving a cancer diagnosis and returning to a full life afterwards.

Shannen Doherty Says “Maggie” Saved Her Life

In another recent Instagram posting, Shannen poses with “Maggie,” a new machine which Doherty says was instrumental in saving her life, according to WJLA. Maggie is the machine Shannen has been using for her radiation therapy, and as she describes in the caption of her photo, she has come to learn that, as painful and disheartening as the treatments are, they are saving her life.

“This is Maggie. I’ve seen Maggie five days a week for what seems like forever,” writes Shannen. “We have a love hate relationship. I love her because she’s part of the life saving treatment I’m receiving. It’s astounding how far we have come with technology.”

While the technological advances already achieved have increased the chances that cancer patients like Doherty can successfully defeat their cancer, there’s still a long way to go before cancer can be completely defeated. Shannen says she looks forward to that day, hoping it won’t be long before the disease can be cured in all of its forms.

“One day, Maggie will be retired and the cure will be found. Things like immunotherapy are the future but for now…. it’s me and Maggie,” concludes Ms. Doherty. “I’m seeing her twice tomorrow so that I can wrap this phase up faster. Goodnight sweet Maggie. See ya tomorrow.”

Shannen Doherty’s public battle against cancer hasn’t gone unnoticed. She recently received the Courage Award at the American Cancer Society’s inaugural Giants of Science Gala.

In accepting the award, Shannen said that courage, like anything, is learned, as one faces adversity, adding that one’s own courage grows as the struggle endures. Doherty goes on to explain that being courageous means facing that adversity every single day without letting the fear of what may happen defeat a person.

“Courage is embracing what you’re going through and trying to get through it with as much dignity as you possibly can, while also accepting your circumstances and allowing yourself to feel everything,” said Shannen Doherty.

[Featured Image by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images]