Jane Fonda‘s cancer is in remission! The 84-year-old actress shared the exciting news in a statement on her website and Instagram page on Thursday, Dec 15. “Last week I was told by my oncologist that my cancer is in remission and I can discontinue chemo. I am feeling so blessed, so fortunate,” she gushed. “I thank all of you who prayed and sent good thoughts my way. I am confident that it played a role in the good news.”
“I’m especially happy because while my first 4 chemo treatments were rather easy for me, only a few days of being tired, the last chemo session was rough and lasted 2 weeks making it hard to accomplish much of anything,” she continued. She went on to explain that the “effects wore off” right in time for a “busy week” in Washington, D.C., where she attended the “first live, in-person” Fire Drill Fridays rally, which is meant to raise awareness about the severity of climate change. She said she also spoke twice at the Democracy Alliance to fight Senator Joe Manchin’s “Dirty Deal”, which promotes projects involving heavy fossil fuel use. Jane certainly wastes no time!
The Book Club actress called the news the “best birthday present.” She turns 85 next week on Dec. 21. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010 and had a mastectomy in 2016.
The Academy Award-winning actress announced she had cancer in September after she had already been receiving chemotherapy treatments for six months. “So, my dear friends, I have something personal I want to share. I’ve been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and have started chemo treatments,” she began in her Instagram announcement post. “This is a very treatable cancer. 80% of people survive, so I feel very lucky.”
Similar to her remission post, she used the announcement to speak about causes she cares about, such as access to health care and climate change. “I’m also lucky because I have health insurance and access to the best doctors and treatments. I realize, and it’s painful, that I am privileged in this,” she humbly wrote. “Almost every family in America has had to deal with cancer at one time or another and far too many don’t have access to the quality health care I am receiving and this is not right.”
“We also need to be talking much more not just about cures but about causes so we can eliminate them,” she continued. “For example, people need to know that fossil fuels cause cancer. So do pesticides, many of which are fossil fuel-based, like mine.”
On Sept. 7, she shared a positive update with fans via a statement on her website and said she feels “stronger” than she has “in years.” She continued, “The doctor told me the best antidote to the tiredness that chemotherapy can cause is to move. Walk. And I have been walking. Very early before the record heat kicks in. Also working out.”
The former model frankly spoke about not being scared of death in a November interview with Entertainment Tonight. “I’m not going to be around for much longer. When you get to be my age, you better be aware of the amount of time that is behind you, as opposed to in front of you,” she said. “I mean, that’s just realistic.”