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They were both declared cancer-free in late 2024.
The Gist
- William Shatner, 95, and his youngest daughter Melanie Shatner, 61, battled stage 4 cancer at the same time.
- Melanie was diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer that had spread to lymph nodes in her chest in July 2022, while William was diagnosed with stage 4 malignant melanoma that had spread to his lungs and brain in June 2023.
- They were declared cancer-free in late 2024.
William Shatner, 95, and his youngest daughter Melanie Shatner, 61, are bravely sharing their respective stage 4 cancer journeys, and how their mutal unwavering support helped them through the battle.
In July 2022, Melanie discovered a lump on her breast by chance. “I woke up in the middle of the night, and my finger moved up right beneath my breast. I felt a little bump and thought, ‘It’s just a bug bite,’” she explained in a new People cover story. She went to an imaging appointment the very next day, where a technician initially found no cause for concern. However, Melanie pushed back and asked the technician to recheck her breast. “She put the wand exactly where I put my finger and under her breath said, ‘Now, I would have missed that.’” Tests confirmed Melanie had HER2-positive breast cancer that had spread to lymph nodes in her chest.
“She was very conscious of the importance of her life for herself and for her family,” William said, referring to Melanie and her husband Joel Gretsch’s two daughters. “I was devastated.” When Melanie expressed concerns over the cost of cancer treatment, William insisted on her sending him the bills.
Over the next year and a half, Melanie underwent several rounds of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, and 30 radiation therapy treatments, which she found “draining.”
As Melanie neared the end of treatment, in June 2023, William—who is also dad to Leslie, 67, and Lisabeth, 65, with his late wife Gloria Rand—was diagnosed with stage 4 malignant melanoma that had spread to his lungs and brain. He had also developed a growing lump on his cheek and underwent surgery to remove the tumor on his face. Two years of immunotherapy to target the cancer in his lungs and brain followed.
“He wouldn’t stop his life. He kept working and moving forward,” Melanie said of her dad. “Whenever he was home, Joel and I would bring dinner to him and watch movies, just always made sure that he’s not alone.”
They are both incredibly grateful to their care teams; they were declared cancer-free in late 2024 and continue to be today. “It was the third time in my life I had heard him cry,” Melanie said of her father learning the news.
William says he finds gratitude in all things, big and small. “I’m aware of the magic of it all,” especially having his family by his side. “We’re a very together family. We’re bonded by all kinds of difficulties that we’ve overcome.”
Melanie has a similar outlook on life, sharing, “[Overcoming cancer] changed my life. I’m not so afraid anymore, and there’s so much freedom and joy.”
Read the original article on InStyle
