This Girl, Who Became a Famous Actress at 19, Is Battling an Incurable Disease & Helping Others Like Her

• The girl in the cover photo went on to become a famous actress and garnered incredible success at 19.
• Currently, she is battling an incurable disease and focusing her efforts on helping other people who are dealing with the same health ailments.
• She previously shared words about her childhood and spoke about her father's passing.

The girl in the cover image was born in Memphis, Tennessee, to parents who fell in love at first glance. Her dad was in college at the time and became smitten by her mom once he saw her exiting an airplane.

Since their first encounter, the lovebirds got married and stayed together for many years. From the moment the star (in the cover photo) heard about her parents' love story, she expressed how it brought out her desire to one day find what they had.

Although, as a child, she described herself as outgoing, she also had the traits of a loner, citing her preference for playing alone. Her outgoing nature saw her become an active church member and participate in plays. Despite this, though, she explained:

"I always wanted my time away from others."

She liked being on her own but would also enjoy spending time with her dad. She previously recalled how going to the beach with him, regardless of the weather, would be one of her most cherished pastimes. Of their father-daughter bond and time together, the actress divulged:

"He loved nothing more than to make me laugh and feel like the most special girl in the world."

Unfortunately, her dad passed away in 2010 at the age of 66, following a series of health challenges. Naturally, his death was extremely tough on the star, who keeps photos of him in her home, because not only was he a loving father to her, but he was her best friend, too. She admitted:

"I miss his guidance and his unwavering support...I miss his love. And even though I lost him far too early, I'm grateful that he was my dad..."

By the time she turned seven, she and her family moved to Los Angeles. While her father was busy starting a new branch on the West Coast for their family transportation business, the famous actress began to take an interest in acting.

She became invested in "Little House on the Prairie" and wanted to become a part of the show, specifically to work with now late actor Michael Landon. Her drive, determination, and hard work saw her garner a role on the show, and from there, acting became a regular gig.

For the well-known entertainer, a part of her love for acting stemmed from how she was able to hide the fact that she considered herself self-conscious. In this regard, she explained:

"If you're at all self-conscious, acting is the best thing that you can do because you never have to be yourself. Ever."

The Actress Scored Her Big Break at 19 and Later Explained Her Departure from the Popular Series

The actress who started as a little girl from Memphis and who described herself as self-conscious once is none other than "Charmed" star Shannen Doherty, 52. As mentioned before, she started garnering acting credits when she was still a kid, and as she grew older, she scored roles in productions like "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," and "Heathers."

However, few roles were as noteworthy as when she landed the part of the newbie in town, Brenda Walsh, on the top-rated series "Beverly Hills, 90210," at 19 years old, which essentially skyrocketed her career. Of her scoring her big break, Doherty stated:

"It was a game changer for sure. I also don't know if I was prepared for the amount of fame that got thrown at all of us..."

The dark-haired beauty also described how she learned and grew a lot as a person during her time on the show. The series also allowed her to purchase her first home and introduced her to the Malibu scene, which she said she loved.

A significant part of Doherty's character's life involved her journey with her on-screen lover, played by the late Luke Perry. The two took their roles so seriously that Doherty recalled a heated real-life argument the duo had, which involved flinging lunch trays at each other and exchanging harsh words in one of the trailers on set.

Despite the duo working it out and coming together, somewhere down the line, the media labeled Doherty as the show's resident bad girl. On this, she disclosed:

"Yeah, I was misunderstood..."

Doherty expanded that she was misunderstood because she wasn't sharing the personal struggles she was facing, like her dad being in the hospital. Due to what the show's production deemed an issue with lateness, conflict began to arise.

Despite the sky-reaching flames she has had and continues to have to walk through, Doherty is not letting her incurable disease defeat her.

Long story short, she ended up departing from the show. Though she took ownership of her part, citing her undiplomatic ways, her misery, and her lack of interest in the scripts, Doherty believes that the showrunners were ultimately upset because they could no longer control her.

Shannen Doherty Opened Up about Her Cancer and Shared Her Purpose and Passion Going Forward

Following her time on "Beverly Hills, 90210," Doherty's career continued to bring her even more success. However, her world stopped in 2015 when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer.

Doherty was forced to disclose she had been battling the disease since March 2015 due to a lawsuit she filed against her former business manager. The court documents contained information about her diagnosis.

The blue-eyed actress sued her former business manager because he failed to pay for her insurance premiums, which prohibited Doherty from being able to seek medical care. The court documents also revealed that Doherty:

"was informed that her cancer had spread during 2014 (when she was uninsured)."

This meant that had Doherty's former business manager kept up with the insurance premium payments, she would have had a greater chance of receiving early intervention, decreasing the likelihood of needing future treatment.

Fortunately, Doherty entered remission in 2017, and though she still had her fair share of problems to grapple with, she expressed gratitude over the good news.

Sadly, Doherty's cancer returned in 2020 when she announced that she had stage 4 breast cancer. Before disclosing her cancer's return, it was revealed that she had kept the news to herself for a year. Of course, she admitted to having many "why me" moments, but she said her primary concern involved her loved ones:

"I would say that my first reaction is always concern about how am I going to tell my mom, my husband."

In June of this year, Doherty underwent surgery on her brain to get a tumor removed and biopsied. She posted her experience in the hospital on her social media account, and though she was putting on a brave face, she confessed to being terrified.

Now, Doherty's cancer has spread to her bones, but she says the treatment regimen she is currently on has been working well for her. Still, she is taking things day by day, month by month, and year by year.

Since the cancer had also spread to her brain, Doherty said that in addition to the surgery, she had to undergo radiation. Some of the side effects she experienced after the surgery involved her inability to hold objects, like a glass, in her right hand.

The medical professionals had given her steroids to take after the surgery to help with brain swelling, but since she has bad reactions to steroids, she would cut down on the dosage. Luckily, she said that her side effects and reactions only lasted approximately 3-4 months.

Despite the sky-reaching flames she has had and continues to have to walk through, Doherty is not letting her incurable disease defeat her. She still has dreams and goals she wants to accomplish, like meeting a potential significant other, now that she feels she has dealt with her past.

The brave 52-year-old is also turning her pain into purpose. In an interview published recently, Doherty spoke about her belief of why she thinks God brought her to this moment in her life:

"I think that's to reach people who have cancer, that are impacted by it, in such a profound way, to help bring awareness, to help raise money. It's insane to me that cancer's been around this long, and we still don't have a cure..."

Doherty is choosing to use her platform for the greater good because she realizes the great responsibility she has as someone with first-hand experience with such a disease.

Unafraid of the unknown of what's to come, the strong-willed star confirmed she is nowhere near done with living and exploring all the beautiful moments life still has to offer her.