Dying actress Shannen Doherty posts pics of her with Stage 4 breast cancer to raise awareness

Actress Shannen Doherty, suffering from terminal Stage 4 breast cancer, recently posted photos on Instagram that show the ravages of the disease.

According to a recent story by Maria Cramer in The New York Times, the 50-year-old says she took the action to raise consciousness. She hopes the candid photos "will jar people into getting mammograms and regular breast exams and help people cut through 'the fear and face whatever might be in front of you,'" the article notes.

Doherty, now

One photo shows her totally bald, with a bloody cotton ball in her nose. "Is it pretty?" she wrote. "NO but it's truthful and my hope in sharing is that we all become more educated, more familiar with what cancer looks like."

Doherty, who was diagnosed in 2015, has had a mastectomy, radiation and chemo.  In 2020, she announced she was plagued by nose bleeds and, more importantly, "fighting to stay alive."'

Doherty, before

The actress gained fame in the 1990s playing Brenda Walsh for four years on "Beverly Hills, 90210," but was widely criticized for being difficult on set and her highly publicized love-life. In a 2008 interview with The New York Times, she claimed the bad press was based on false stories or exaggerations. She said, "I have nothing to apologize for…However other people may have reacted…is their issue."

Much more information on the disease can be found in "Rollercoaster: How a man can survive his partner's breast cancer," a VitalityPress book that I, Woody Weingarten, aimed at male caregivers.