'The Office' actor Jenna Fischer, who played Pam Beesly on the NBC sitcom, recently revealed that she was diagnosed with "aggressive" breast cancer last year and is now cancer-free after undergoing surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Ms Fischer shared her experience on Instagram to mark breast cancer awareness month. "On December 1, 2023, I learned I had stage 1 triple positive breast cancer," the actor wrote, adding that "after completing surgery, chemotherapy and radiation I am now cancer free."
Ms Fischer went on to reveal that she had a lumpectomy in January to remove the tumour, which luckily hadn't spread because the doctors caught it early. Due to the "aggressive nature" of her cancer, the star required chemotherapy and radiation, she said.
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The actor revealed that she underwent 12 rounds of weekly chemo starting in February and began her three weeks of radiation in June. She was treated with infusions of two other medications.
"I'm happy to say I'm feeling great," Ms Fischer wrote on Instagram, adding that she is making the best of her recovery.
"I lost my hair during chemotherapy but thanks to some great wigs and hats with hair (which my family affectionately called Wigats) I have been able to wait until now to reveal all that has been going on for me," Ms Fischer continued, adding, "I'm making this announcement for a few reasons."
"One, I'm ready to ditch the wigs. Two, to implore you to get your annual mammograms. You can also ask your doctor to calculate your Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Score and get any additional screenings required. I'm serious, call your doctors right now," she said.
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"If I had waited six months longer, things could have been much worse," she explained. "It could have spread. Seeing women post photos of their mammogram appointments on Instagram needled me into setting my own (which I was late for). I'm so glad I did. Consider this your kick in the butt to get it done…. Suddenly everything in your life is geared around one thing: fighting cancer," Ms Fischer wrote.
Along with the long post, the actor also shared two images. "I wanted a photo of myself in my patchy pixie looking happy and healthy to go along with this news," she wrote describing a photo of herself. The other image showed her ringing the bell at the end of her cancer journey.
Ms Fischer thanked her medical staff, family, friends and other cancer survivors. It "takes a village to fight cancer," she wrote. She also gave a special shout-out to her former 'The Office' co-star Angela Kinsey's husband, Joshua Snyder, for taking one of the photos, saying, "It's just one example of the care they showed me during this journey."
