William Shatner and daughter Melanie reveal they battled cancer together

William Shatner and his daughter, Melanie Shatner Gretsch, have gone public with their simulatenous cancer diagnoses.

The Star Trek icon was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer while his youngest daughter was undergoing treatment for stage 4 breast cancer.

During a joint interview with People, Melanie explained that she was diagnosed after discovering a lump under her breast in July 2022. Just under a year later, in June 2023, her dad was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma that had spread to his lungs and brain.

The 61-year-old actress, whose mother is William's first wife Gloria Rand, recalled feeling overwhelmed by the news.

"I remember vividly thinking, 'I don't have the strength to take care of myself and lose my father at the same time,'" she told the outlet.

However, William, 95, remained optimistic.

"They said, 'You got cancer. If you came in later, you would have been dead.' See? That's my life," he shared. "I think the universe is taking care of me."

Following their respective treatments, William and Melanie are now both cancer-free.

Reflecting on the start of her cancer journey, Melanie explained that she found a small lump beneath her breast but initially dismissed it.

"I felt a little bump and thought, 'It's just a bug bite,'" she told the outlet.

Melanie decided to have it checked despite receiving a clear mammogram just five months earlier. Tests confirmed she had HER2-positive breast cancer, which had spread to the lymph nodes in her chest.

As the actress was nearing the end of her treatment, William discovered a lump on his cheek.

"I went to the family doctor, and he said, 'It's your salivary gland. It's blocked. Just massage it,'" he recalled.

However, the lump continued to grow, prompting a plastic surgeon friend to encourage him to have it removed.

The Boston Legal actor underwent surgery to remove the tumour from his face before receiving two years of immunotherapy to treat the cancer in his lungs and brain.