William Shatner has revealed both he and his daughter faced stage four cancer together. The pair were both diagnosed around the same time, with the Star Trek legend diagnosed with stage four malignant melanoma which spread to his lungs and brain.
The 95-year-old's diagnosis in June 2023 came just as his daughter Melanie was in the final stretch of her treatment for stage four breast cancer. She had received her diagnosis in 2022.
Symptoms and diagnosis
The legendary actor has now opened up on his health journey and the worries the duo both faced. He admitted he first became concerned after a lump grew on his cheek.
He revealed a doctor initially told him it was a blocked salivary gland and told him to “just massage it”. But as the concern continued to grow, he was told a month later by a plastic surgeon friend that he “better get it out” after he noticed it was a tumour.
He had surgery and two years of immunotherapy followed to target the cancer in his lungs and brain. At the same time, his daughter was facing her own battle.
Mutual support
Melanie told People that her dad "kept working and moving forward," despite his condition. Melanie's own woes came after she discovered a lump on her breast in 2022.
She initially thought it was a bug bite after having a clear mammogram five months earlier. But she admitted that “something pushed me back” to get checked. And when the doctors carried out an examination, it confirmed she had cancer that had spread to her lymph nodes in her chest.
William told the publication he was "devastated" when he found out. But after his own diagnosis, Melanie revealed she panicked.
She said: “I remember vividly thinking, ‘I don’t have the strength to take care of myself and lose my father at the same time’.”
Cancer free
The pair both received the good news that they are now cancer free. And Melanie admits the journey "changed my life". She said she is “not so afraid anymore” of what life might bring.
Dad William added: “We’re a very together family. We’re bonded by all kinds of difficulties that we’ve overcome.”
And he confessed to feeling healthier than he has in years. Two years before his diagnosis, the Captain James T Kirk actor headed into space. He became the oldest person to fly in space after being a passenger aboard Blue Origin NS-18.
As he continues to try out new things, he revealed last week that he is set to play his first heavy metal performance later this year. It comes as part of his newly formed band The *uckers.
The band will take to the stage at Riot Fest in Chicago in September after the punk rock festival spent more than a decade trying to get him to perform.
