William Shatner, 95, famous for portraying Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek series, revealed that he and his youngest daughter battled stage 4 cancer at the same time.
On the 22nd (local time), People reported that William Shatner and his daughter Melanie Shatner Gretch were both diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and underwent treatment concurrently. Both have since been declared cancer-free.
In a recent interview with People, the two said that in 2022 Melanie discovered a lump in her breast and was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. A year later, in 2023, William Shatner was also diagnosed with stage 4 cancer after malignant melanoma spread to his lungs and brain.
After the diagnosis, Melanie underwent targeted therapy and multiple rounds of chemotherapy, bilateral mastectomy, and 30 sessions of radiation over about a year and a half.
She worried more about her father than her own health. Melanie said, "I have a memory that stands out very clearly. I thought, 'I don't have the strength to take care of myself, I can't lose my father at the same time,'" and added, "I was more afraid of losing my father."
William Shatner said he found a lump on his cheek just as his daughter's treatment was winding down, and after surgical removal he underwent two years of immunotherapy to treat cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain.
Melanie recalled that her father never stopped working during his cancer battle. "He kept working and kept moving forward," she said, adding, "Whenever he was at home, Joel and I brought dinner and watched movies together. We always tried to make sure my father was never alone."
Now declared cancer-free, the two plan to start a new podcast to interview medical professionals and other cancer survivors. William Shatner said, "It's easy to tell people to 'live life meaningfully' while living in a nice home. But it's a much harder message for people trying to figure out how to survive in poverty. I went through that too. Still, I was able to endure. And I could also discover the beauty around me."
Melanie said her experience overcoming cancer completely changed her life. "After beating cancer, my life is completely different. I'm not as afraid as I used to be. And now I feel a great sense of freedom and joy," she said.
William Shatner is known for his role as Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek series, and he also appeared on the American version of Grandpa over Flowers, Better Late Than Never, which was remade by the U.S. broadcast network NBC.
[Photo] William Shatner, People SNS.
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