Jane Fonda Shares Huge News With Fans

Actress and activist says her cancer is in remission
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 3, 2022 6:30 AM CDT
Updated Dec 16, 2022 12:39 AM CST
Jane Fonda Shares Diagnosis: 'Cancer Is a Teacher'
Jane Fonda is seen on April 23 at NeueHouse Hollywood in Los Angeles.   (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
UPDATE Dec 16, 2022 12:39 AM CST

Jane Fonda received an amazing gift for the holidays and her upcoming 85th birthday: Her cancer is in remission. "I am feeling so blessed, so fortunate. 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," the actress shared on her blog Thursday, per NBC News. Her oncologist has given her the OK to stop chemotherapy, which, she says, is especially good news because it allows her to protest what she and her fellow climate activists are referring to as the "Dirty Deal," which she says "seeks to fast track fossil fuel projects."

Sep 3, 2022 6:30 AM CDT

Some news this week from actress and activist Jane Fonda via a social media post has fans sending her well wishes and messages of support. "My dear friends, I have something personal I want to share," the 84-year-old wrote Friday at the start of a long Instagram post, per NPR. "I've been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and have started chemo treatments." Fonda noted she'll be doing chemo for six months, and that so far, she's been doing well with her treatments. "This is a very treatable cancer. 80% of people survive, so I feel very lucky," she added.

Cancer.net puts its numbers close to hers, noting that the overall five-year survival rate for Americans with this type of cancer—which starts in white blood cells that are part of the immune system, typically in the lymph nodes and lymphatic tissue—is 73%. The Grace and Frankie star, who noted in her post that "cancer is a teacher," also acknowledged her own privilege in having the money and access to resources that will allow her to better manage her illness. "I have health insurance and access to the best doctors and treatments," she 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."

story continues below

The activist, known for her work involving feminist issues, LGBTQ rights, and environmentalism also informed fans she wouldn't be pulling away from her causes. "The midterms are looming, and they are beyond consequential so you can count on me to be right there together with you as we grow our army of climate champions," she wrote. People notes that fans—including big names like Reese Witherspoon, Katie Couric, and Mark Ruffalo—flocked to social media to offer virtual hugs to Fonda. "You are my hero," actress Diane Keaton wrote in the comments section of Fonda's post. "You are a warrior. All of my life I have been in awe of all that you do. I will continue to admire the crusader you have always been and always will be." (More Jane Fonda stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X