William Shatner and daughter Melanie recall fighting stage 4 cancer together

William Shatner and his daughter, Melanie Shatner Gretsch, have shared their harrowing experience of battling stage 4 cancer concurrently. The "Star Trek" icon, now 95, discovered a lump that was initially misdiagnosed as a salivary gland.

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It had spread to my brain. There were little points of light in my brain and little points of light … I think in my lung.

After the lump grew, Shatner sought a second opinion and learned it had spread to his brain and lung. His diagnosis was stage 4 malignant melanoma. "It had spread to my brain," Shatner recalled. "There were little points of light in my brain and little points of light … I think in my lung."

Nearly a year before Shatner's diagnosis, his daughter found a lump on her breast. Despite initial reassurances from her doctor, Gretsch felt something was wrong and insisted on further checks. "Something just said, 'You need to check again,'" she said. Her doctor later confirmed it was a super aggressive form of breast cancer that had already spread beyond the breast wall.

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Something just said, 'You need to check again.'

Gretsch underwent extensive treatment, including chemotherapy, radiation, a double mastectomy, and immunotherapy. She described leaning on her father for support during difficult moments, recalling one night when she felt small and scared and reached out for him. Shatner, described by his daughter as "a source of calm," came to her, gave her a bear hug, and reassured her, "This is just a blip in your life. You're going to get past this."

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It was a super aggressive kind of breast cancer, and it had already escaped the breast wall and had gone into my chest.

Both Shatner and Gretsch are now cancer-free. They are sharing their journey and insights on medicine, science, and spirituality in their new podcast, "No Time But Now," which premiered Wednesday. Shatner explained he initially kept his diagnosis private, fearing it would affect his career, as he loves his work. "I always felt that somehow we would survive," he said.

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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.