Shannen Doherty Is Letting Go of Material Possessions as Her Cancer Journey Continues

Shannen Doherty has been letting go of her material possessions as part of her death preparations. The 52-year-old Beverly Hills, 90210 alum spoke about her decision on the March 31 episode of her Let’s Be Clear podcast, explaining that she had to clean out her storage unit because her personal items were burdensome to her family.

Doherty clarified that during this time, she is focusing on her mother Rosa’s needs since she does not want to leave behind too much for her to deal with if she loses her battle with stage 4 cancer. “I know it’s going to be hard on her if I pass away before her,” she said. “Because it’s going to be so hard on her, I want other things to be a lot easier. Meaning that I don’t want her to have a bunch of stuff to deal with. I don’t want her to have four storage units filled with furniture.” “And again,” she continued, “I know it’s never going to be easy for the people in my life, but maybe it’s more about ease for myself.”

She explained that although she has a “furniture obsession,” everyone can downsize to some extent, including her.”Do I need to have three dining room tables? The answer is no, none of us really need all the stuff that we have, and we could all do with a little bit of downsizing and not be a hoarder, which I was becoming with all my furniture,” Doherty is quoted in the New York Post.

Doherty hopes to go traveling with her mother with the money she receives from selling her storage unit’s items, which include an extensive antique collection. However, she will not dip into her savings to fund these trips, as she wants to leave her loved ones taken care of in the event of her passing.

After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, Doherty underwent a mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments and announced in 2017 that she was in remission. She revealed in 2020 that the cancer had returned and reached stage 4. In 2023, she disclosed that it had spread to her brain and her bones.

Doherty discussed “downsizing” in more detail, reflecting on the property she let go of in Tennessee even though she had “hopes” for it. “I was packing up one of the places there, and it was really hard,” she said. “It was really emotional because, to a certain extent, I felt like I was giving up on this dream.”

As Doherty explained, she envisioned turning the farm into a horse sanctuary with a house for herself and one for her mother. “So I was packing up, and I started crying because, again, I felt like I was giving up on a dream,” she added.

Doherty said her experience of losing the property gave her pause for reflection. “Did it mean that I was giving up on life? Did it mean that I was, like, throwing in the towel?” she recalled her thoughts at the time.

The Charmed actress said she came to terms with her decision a week and a half later. “I think somehow the brain works in mysterious ways where, even though you’re incredibly sad about something and it feels like you’re giving up on something that was very special and important to you, you know that it is the right thing to do,” she said.

Doherty said that her realization that she was going to be able to provide “a cleaner, easier transition for the people who will be left behind” in the event she lost her fight with cancer also helped her stay positive. Although she said she believes “you should live life to its fullest and embrace life while you’re alive,” cancer has forced her to “take stock of my life and shift my priorities.”