William Shatner and daughter open up about each surviving Stage 4 cancer
William Shatner is opening up about his battle with Stage 4 melanoma alongside his daughter, Melanie Shatner Gretsch, who survived Stage 4 breast cancer.
In a new interview, the 95-year-old actor and his daughter spoke exclusively with People about their diagnoses, treatment journeys and how surviving cancer changed their outlook on life.
Shatner said his daughter was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer at age 60 in 2022 after discovering a lump in her breast. About a year later, Shatner learned he had Stage 4 melanoma.
"I went to an oncologist ... and they operated almost immediately with Stage 4 melanoma," Shatner said.
Historically, Stage 4 melanoma carried a median survival time of less than a year.
However, over the past decade, major scientific breakthroughs in immunotherapies -- which empower the body's own immune system to fight tumor cells -- and other targeted therapies have dramatically improved outcomes.
Despite her father's diagnosis, Shatner Gretsch said he never appeared shaken.
"His response was like, 'I'm gonna be fine,'" she recalled.
According to the National Cancer Institute, Stage 4 melanoma is cancer that has spread from its original site to distant parts of the body, while Stage 4 breast cancer -- also called metastatic breast cancer -- has spread beyond the breast and surrounding lymph nodes to distant organs.
The father and daughter said their close family helped them through treatment. Shatner Gretsch recalled one night when she called her father believing she was dying.
"I called you and I said, 'I think I'm dying,'" she said.
She said she could hear him getting out of bed before he told her, "I'm coming over."
Reflecting on their family's support, Shatner said, "We're in a very together family. We're bonded by all kinds of difficulties that we overcame. And who knows what else we're going to overcome."
Today, both Shatner and his daughter have no evidence of disease and remain in remission.
The experience also inspired the pair to launch a new podcast, "No Time, But Now," where they reflect on life, family and finding joy in everyday moments.
Shatner Gretsch said her father's diagnosis changed the way he views the world.
"He gets more joy out of seeing a bird fly past his window and is more aware and has taught my sisters and I to be so aware of the sunrise and the blue sky," she said.
Shatner agreed, sharing, "I find myself like driving my car ... and I'm smiling about it."
He continued, "It's these miracles of life. If you let them go by, you lose your joy of living."
"It changed my life, all for the better," Shatner Gretsch added.
Shatner is best known for playing Capt. James T. Kirk in the original "Star Trek" television series. He later starred in "T.J. Hooker" and "The Practice" and became widely known to a new generation of viewers through his longtime Priceline commercials.
