Shantel VanSanten has turned a personal tragedy into a catalyst for helping others.

In 2013, the Shooter actress’s grandmother, Doris Dooymea, was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. Seven months later, on March 27, 2014, Dooymea, a non-smoker, passed away at age 79.

“It left my family and I in a lot of confusion, and to our ignorance, we did not know that lung cancer was the number one cancer killer and that it could happen to anyone. We made the grave assumption that it could only happen to people who smoked,” VanSanten, who has since joined the American Lung Association’s LUNG FORCE, an initiative dedicated to defeating lung cancer, tells PEOPLE.

As part of LUNG FORCE’s National Women’s Lung Health Week (May 6-12) and LUNG FORCE’s partnership with CVS Health, where from May 6-26, you can visit a CVS pharmacy to donate $1, $3 or more to raise funds for lung cancer awareness, research and education (for more info, visit Lung.org/CVS) – VanSanten is sharing her story and what she has learned in hopes of educating others.

VanSanten and her grandmother, both from Minnesota, were extremely close. When Dooymea, who had been a breast cancer survivor, started experiencing respiratory issues, and was ultimately diagnosed with lung cancer, VanSanten was her caretaker.

You can read the entire article over at PEOPLE.com!

Mark your calendars! Shooter will return for an all-new season on June 21st, Thursday at 10/9c. The season is expected to pick up where we left off. The previous season was cut short due to Ryan Phillippe’s injury and had to end with Episode 8. The network also released a short description on what Season 3 will bring us. Exciting!

Based on the best-selling novels by Stephen Hunter and the 2007 Paramount film starring Mark Wahlberg, SHOOTER follows the journey of Bob Lee Swagger (Ryan Phillippe), a highly decorated veteran who must confront a nemesis from his past in order to return to a life of normalcy. In Season 3, mysterious details are revealed surrounding his father Earl’s death, leading Bob Lee towards a startling conspiracy that hits close to home.

Shantel made her first appearance on Scorpion in the 13th episode of the show’s current season as Amy Berkstead. I have added high-quality stills and high-resolution screencaps into the gallery! Sorry for the delay on these. She will be appearing again in the next episode, which will air tonight on CBS. Don’t miss it!

• Filmography – Scorpion (2018) – 4.13 The Bunker Games – Stills
• Filmography – Scorpion (2018) – 4.13 The Bunker Games – Screen Captures

The wait and worrying is finally over. Shooter has been renewed for a third season! It will consist of 13 episodes, up from 10 and 8 from the previous two seasons, respectively. Filming starts on January, but pre-production has already begun and the cast has shared some photos while on training!

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER – USA Network is keeping Shooter around for another season.

The NBCUniversal-owned cable network has handed out a third-season renewal to the military drama starring Ryan Phillippe. Production on season three begins in January in Los Angeles. Sources say season three will consist of 13 episodes — up from 10 and eight in seasons one and two, respectively. Season three will pick up where season two left off and use all new footage with viewers getting resolution from the sophomore run, which was cut short from its planned 10-episode run following Phillippe’s injury.

The upcoming season is based on the second book in the Stephen Hunter’s Bob Lee Swagger series, titled Black Light. As Bob Lee struggles to put an end to the events of season two, a nemesis reveals mysterious details surrounding his father Earl’s death, leading Bob Lee toward a startling conspiracy that hits close to home.

While we’re waiting for news on Shooter, Shantel will be seen next in the current season of Scorpion!

TVLine has learned exclusively that VanSanten is set to recur during Season 4 of the CBS drama as Toby’s onetime fiancée, Amy Berkstead, who is now married to his nemesis, pop-psychologist Quincy Berkstead (Jeff Galfer).
Amy is described as a brilliant geneticist that Toby met while at Harvard Medical School. Although she broke off their engagement due to Toby’s gambling and immaturity, she (for obvious reasons!) still has an effect on her ex all these years later.
Will newlywed Toby’s wife Happy be threatened by the beautiful and personable rival? Stay tuned for that answer and more when VanSanten makes her debut in Episode 13, airing in January after the holiday break.

Shantel attended this year’s A Time for Heroes family festival hosted by Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Check out some photos in our gallery!