‘BH90210’ Star Shannen Doherty Talks Life After Breast Cancer: ‘I’m Lucky to Be Alive’

It is pretty clear that Shannen Doherty went through plenty of obstacles during her battle with breast cancer — but now that she is in remission, she is speaking out about her journey.

The 47-year-old recently sat-down with People to discuss where she is in life right now after beating the disease. “I don’t think you’re ever on the other side [of cancer],” the Beverly Hills, 90210 actress told the outlet. “I don’t think about the fact that I’m in remission. I look at it like I’m lucky to be alive every minute, every second of the day.”

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After being diagnosed with cancer in 2015, Shannen underwent a mastectomy, followed by several rounds of of chemo and radiation. “I really took good care of myself, and I came out of it in as good of condition I think somebody [in my situation] could be in,” the Charmed alum explained. “But the funny thing with cancer is that once you’re no longer on chemo or radiation, people think you’re fine, that you bounce back. But what they don’t realize is that your body has been through something so incredibly difficult that your body never fully bounces back.”

While she has overcome obstacles, Shannen admitted that she is working to come to terms with herself and her looks post-cancer. “I’m trying to figure out how to accept who I am now. I’m never going to be the size I used to be,” she explained.

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“Some of my meds that I’m on keep zapping the collagen out of me, so I’m never going to have a wrinkle-free face. I’m critical of myself. But there are some things you can’t fight,” she continued. “I’m trying to be kinder to myself. And I try to live each day as an amazing, precious gift that I’ve been given.”

This is not the first time that Shannen has opened up about her cancer battle — she once revealed it was key for her to be an open book during her journey. “It was just about being as honest as possible. And then it became very important to me that I was there for people who were going through it,” Shannen told Health magazine.

“I would never give medical advice because I’m not a doctor, but I would always say, ‘Advocate for yourself,'” she added. So inspiring!