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William Shatner and his youngest daughter Melanie battled stage four cancer at the same time.
The Star Trek legend, 95, revealed in 2024 that he had previously been diagnosed with stage four melanoma. Elsewhere, Melanie, 61, received treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer that spread to lymph nodes in her chest.
Speaking to PEOPLE, Melanie shared that her father's strength got her through her chemotherapy three years ago.
The 61-year-old said: 'I was having a moment and was hysterical. I called you and said, "I think I’m dying."'
William showed up at her house, and 'gave me, what I think of ever since I was a little girl, a "daddy bear hug,”. He said: "This is going to be a blip in your life. You’re going to get through this, and it’ll be a memory.”'
In June 2023, William was diagnosed with stage four malignant melanoma that had spread to his lungs and brain.
Melanie said: 'I remember vividly thinking, "I don’t have the strength to take care of myself [and] lose my father at the same time".'
Her dad was 'unshakable' and vowed that the 'universe is taking care of me'.
Melanie first discovered a lump in her breast in July 2022, and initially mistook it for a bug bite. Testing later confirmed that she had breast cancer, which had already spread, leaving her concerned for her family's future financially.
Her dad told her: '"I do not want you to worry. Just send me the bills"', with Melanie adding: 'Then you made me laugh so hard when I was still going to the doctor a year later. You said, "You’ve got to get well. We’re going to be in the poorhouse!"'
The mum-of-two underwent multiple rounds of chemo with HER2-targeted therapies, a double mastectomy and 30 radiation therapy treatments for 18 months.
When she was finishing her treatment, Melanie spotted a concerning lump on her dad's cheek, which began to grow.
He sought advice and had surgery to remove the tumour on his face. This was followed by two years of immunotherapy to target the cancer in his lungs and brain.
