Oh no!
In a new interview with People this week, William Shatner and his 61-year-old daughter, Melanie Shatner Gretsch, revealed they both battled stage 4 cancer at the same time! Melanie said she was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer in 2022 after she discovered a lump in her breast. She underwent multiple rounds of chemo, a double mastectomy, and 30 radiation therapy treatments more than a year after her diagnosis.
However, she wasn’t concerned about herself during that time. She was more worried about her 95-year-old dad who found out he had stage 4 melanoma that had spread to his lungs and brain a year later. She said:
“I remember vividly thinking, ‘I don’t have the strength to take care of myself and lose my father at the same time.”
Oof. William explained he noticed a lump on his cheek when Melanie was close to finishing her treatment, which turned out to be a tumor. He ended up having surgery to remove the tumor and underwent two years of immunotherapy for the cancer in his lungs and brain. That’s so tough to go through. But what got them through their health battles? Each other. Melanie shared that William “wouldn’t stop his life” and ‘kept working and moving forward,” adding:
“Whenever he was home, Joel and I would bring dinner to him and watch movies, just always made sure that he’s not alone.”
Melanie also said the actor would always ease her worries, including the cost of her cancer treatments:
“I do not want you to worry. Just send me the bills. Then you made me laugh so hard when I was still going to the doctor a year later. You said, ‘You’ve got to get well. We’re going to be in the poorhouse!’”
Thankfully, this story has a happy ending. People revealed Melanie and William are both cancer-free today. Phew.
Reactions, Perezcious readers? Let us know (below).
[Image via MEGA/WENN]
