Inside Shannen Doherty's 'Final Hours' Before Her Tragic Death: Actress 'Wasn't Ready to Leave,' Star's Doctor Shares
Shannen Doherty's oncologist Dr. Lawrence D. Piro is sharing insight into how strong the late actress was throughout her cancer battle.
After meeting, the two formed an immediate bond, as the doctor explained it felt as if they had known each other for a lifetime when they first met more than seven years ago.
"We kept going until we couldn't go any more," Prio said of treating the actress, who passed away on Saturday, July 13.
"The last conversation that we had, she was in the process of realizing that things had taken a pretty significant turn. The conversation was about love and support and caring and still fighting through," he recalled in a new interview. "She wanted to continue to take treatment and fight through, even though her physical condition had taken a bit of a downturn. And so we did."
Though options were slim during her final weeks, the Charmed alum — who was 53 at the time of her death — refused to "do nothing," said the medical professional.
"That wasn't even open for discussion, because that's not how Shannen lived," he declared. "She was an incredible warrior in everything she did."
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"She fought so hard and she didn't believe that it would ever be over, which kind of makes everybody around you believe that, too, because you want to believe that," he added.
Though things were "much more difficult" in her last weeks, "we continued to fight while putting in more support and we just kept loving and hoping and supporting."
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During the actress' final hours, she "was very comfortable and sleeping and transitioning" while surrounded by "a select group of friends."
"It was somber and sad, but beautiful and loving," Prio said. "The hardest thing about this was that she wasn't ready to leave because she loved life."
"This tremendous love for life was inspired by a love for people and a love for being treated well. And I think that that grew out of being in public eye from a very young age and feeling misunderstood most of her life," he explained. "She would want us to live our lives as strongly as we can, committed to our convictions and to not allow others to label you or to misrepresent you and stop you from living your best life."
People spoke to Piro.