In a rare incident, William Shatner and his daughter Melanie revealed they battle stage 4 cancer at the same time.
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During a recent interview with PEOPLE, William and Melanie opened up about their separate cancer diagnoses.
“I was having a moment and was hysterical,” Melanie recalled while she was going through chemotherapy for her stage 4 breast cancer. “I called you and said, ‘I think I’m dying.'”
Melanie then revealed that about 15 minutes after she called, William was in her driveway.
“He gave me, what I think of ever since I was a little girl, a ‘daddy bear hug,'” she noted. “He said, ‘This is going to be a blip in your life. You’re going to get through this, and it’ll be a memory.’”
William then stated, “We’re a very together family. We’re bonded by all kinds of difficulties that we’ve overcome.”
William Finds Out About His Cancer As Melanie Continued Her Treatments
The father-daughter duo then shared that as Melanie was nearing the end of her cancer treatment, it was revealed that William had been diagnosed with stage 4 malignant melanoma, which had spread to his lungs and brain.
“I remember vividly thinking, ‘I don’t have the strength to take care of myself and lose my father at the same time,'” Melanie said.
However, William remained optimistic. “They said, ‘You got cancer. If you came in later, you would have been dead.’ See? That’s my life,” he pointed out. “I think the universe is taking care of me.”
Despite the situation and all the health obstacles, the Star Trek legend and his daughter are now cancer-free.
“I’m thinking of the miracle of a hummingbird, and of my dog taking a ball, and my children,” William continued. “I’m aware of the magic of it all.”
The father-daughter duo is now preparing to launch a new podcast series, No Time but Now. In each episode, they will interview health experts and other cancer survivors. Among those who are set to guest appear are “The King of Chemo” Ian Ward, addiction expert Dr. Gabor Mate, and nutrition researcher Dr. William Li.
“It’s easy for us in this lovely home to say, ‘Make your life meaningful.’ It’s much more difficult to be poverty-stricken and wonder how you’re going to get through it. I’ve been there,” William noted. “But it’s also possible to endure that and be aware of the beauty around you.”
Melanie then added, “[Overcoming cancer] changed my life. I’m not so afraid anymore, and there’s so much freedom and joy.”