William Shatner and Daughter Melanie Share How They Supported Each Other Through Cancer
Actor William Shatner has been entertaining us for years. You know him best as Captain Kirk from Star Trek, but he also had roles in the TV shows T.J. Hooker and Boston Legal, as well as popular commercials. Now, at 95, he has been on a cancer-fighting journey after being diagnosed with stage 4 malignant melanoma a few years ago. A year before he was diagnosed, his daughter, Melanie Shatner Gretsch, was diagnosed with breast cancer. The two have been battling cancer together, helping one another through.
His Daughter Melanie Was Already Fighting Breast Cancer
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Three years ago, William Shatner found a lump. At first, his doctor told him it was a clogged salivary gland, but it started to grow. He was then told it should be removed.
"It had spread to my brain," the actor said. "There were little points of light in my brain and little points of light...I think in my lung." He was diagnosed with stage 4 malignant melanoma.
About a year before his own diagnosis, Melanie Shatner Gretsch, William Shatner's daughter, found a lump in her breast. At first, she was told there was nothing concerning to worry about. She questioned it, and it was a good thing she did.
"It was a super aggressive kind of breast cancer, and it had already escaped the breast wall and had gone into my chest," Melanie, 61, said.
Father and Daughter Supported Each Other Through Treatment
Melanie had chemotherapy, 30 rounds of radiation, as well as a double mastectomy and a year of immunotherapy. She was able to lean on her father for support during this time.
"I was just in one of those moments where you want your daddy, you know, like you're little, you're feeling very little and you're feeling this is really scary," she said.
While receiving a cancer diagnosis is not anything anyone would want, having support and helping each other through it all is a huge blessing for the two of them.
Melanie shares that her Dad is a "source of calm" for her. "He got out of bed and drove over here, gave me the bear hug," she said. "He said to me, 'This is just a blip in your life. You're going to get past this."
A Clear PET Scan Brought William Shatner to Tears
When Melanie got her first clear PET scan and called her Dad, it was only the third time she had heard him cry.
Thankfully, both father and daughter are now cancer-free.
"I always felt that somehow we would survive," the actor shares.
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The Blessing of Walking Through Hard Times Together
While we can't stop a cancer diagnosis or any other horrible thing from happening, we can depend on the people in our lives to walk us through the process. We can be there for those in our own lives who need the extra support. We pray that both William Shatner and his daughter will continue to have good health reports and continue to encourage one another.
“Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.” Jeremiah 33:6
WATCH: William Shatner and Daughter Melanie Share How They Supported Each Other Through Cancer
LISTEN: Martin Short Opens Up About Love, Loss, and Finding Joy Through Hardest Moments | California Couple Celebrates Their 80th Anniversary
h/t: CBSNews
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Good Morning America
Julie Provost is a GodUpdates staff writer and editor. She lives in Tennessee with her husband, three boys, and little dog Max. She loves to read, go to the movies, and enjoy time with family and friends.
Originally published August 07, 2026.
