Fought until the end

Shannen Doherty “wasn’t ready to go”

Shannen Doherty died at the weekend at the age of 53 as a result of her cancer. Her oncologist is now speaking out about the actress' final hours.

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In an interview with "People" magazine, Shannen Doherty's oncologist Dr. Lawrence D. Piro has now spoken about the last hours of the "Beverly Hills, 90210" actress. He revealed: "She wasn't ready to go because she loved life."

Since being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, Shannen Doherty fought bravely against cancer. Always by her side until her death on July 13: her oncologist Dr. Lawrence D. Piro.

Doherty never wanted to give up the fight
The President of The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute in Los Angeles has now spoken to People magazine about the last hours of the popular actress. Piro was not only Doherty's doctor, he had also become a close confidant of the actress.

Shannen Doherty succumbed to her years of cancer at the weekend.

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"We both understood each other immediately," he recalled of getting to know Doherty. "You understand what each other's thoughts mean, as if you'd known each other for years before that meeting. That's how it was with us when we first met, and that's how it was until the end."

Doherty was a real fighter, Piro continued. "In her mind, she didn't want to consider any other alternative than: We beat cancer." That's why they never talked about how much time she had left, because Doherty "wanted to live every day as if it was the beginning of a new chapter for her". 

"Went in a different direction"
In June, the former "Charmed" actress spoke on her podcast "Let's Be Clear with Shannen Doherty" about having to start another round of chemotherapy. "We kept going until we couldn't do any more," her oncologist has now confirmed. "She wanted to continue the treatment and fight through it, even though her physical condition had deteriorated a little. And that's what we did."

Shannen Doherty did not want to give up the fight against cancer until the very end, according to her oncologist in an interview with People magazine.

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Doherty did not lose her fighting spirit until the end, which is why her family and friends thought she could make it this time too, Dr. Piro continued. In fact, her condition had deteriorated drastically in recent weeks. "That's when it became clear that things were going in a different direction."

"Gloomy and sad, but also beautiful and loving"
She died surrounded by her family, friends and her dog "Bowie", the oncologist continued. "In her final hours, she was in a place where she was very comfortable and asleep, and she was surrounded by some of her closest friends."

They had given Doherty "a lot of care and support". "It was dark and sad, but also beautiful and loving. The hardest part was that she wasn't ready to leave because she loved life."

Dr. Piro is certain after Shannen Doherty's death, "She would want us to live our lives as strongly as possible, to be committed to our beliefs and not allow others to label us or misrepresent us and keep us from living our best lives."