Actress Jenna Fischer, famous for her role on the popular NBC sitcom “The Office,” has provided her fans with a surprising health update, revealing that she was diagnosed with breast cancer last fall.
Fischer, 50, took to Instagram on Oct. 8 to recount her recent health struggles, sharing that she is now cancer-free after undergoing surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.
Fischer went on to recall a picture she uploaded on Instagram in October 2023, which showed the actress preparing for a routine mammogram, an X-ray of the breasts designed to help doctors detect cancer and other tissue change.
“After inconclusive results on that mammogram due to dense breast tissue, my doctor ordered a breast ultrasound,” she explained, adding that doctors discovered something in her left breast, which prompted her to have a biopsy.
“Triple positive breast cancer is an aggressive form of breast cancer but it is also highly responsive to treatment,” the actress wrote.
“Luckily my cancer was caught early and it hadn’t spread into my lymph nodes or throughout the rest of my body,” she offered.
“However, because of the aggressive nature of triple positive breast cancer, it still required chemotherapy and radiation to be sure it didn’t return.”
Fischer began doing rounds of chemotherapy in February after undergoing a lumpectomy procedure the previous month to remove the tumor in her breast.
After completing three weeks of radiation in June, the “Mean Girls” star said she is now being treated with intravenous infusions of Herceptin—a cancer drug used to treat certain types of breast and stomach cancer—as well as daily doses of Tamoxifen, another type of breast cancer medication.
‘It Takes a Village’
In her post, Fischer recounted some of the challenges she faced during her nearly year-long battle with breast cancer, including losing her hair due to the chemotherapy treatment.“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,” she wrote.
“I’m serious, call your doctor right now. My tumor was so small it could not be felt on a physical exam. If I had waited six months longer, things could have been much worse. It could have spread.”
Fischer said seeing pictures on Instagram of other women getting their annual mammograms motivated her to follow suit.
“I’m so glad I did,” she offered. “Consider this your kick in the butt to get it done.”
Fischer concluded her post by reflecting on the outpouring of support she has received since being diagnosed with breast cancer last year.
“It takes a village to fight cancer, and I have had an amazing village. Until this happened, I don’t think I really knew the generosity and kindness that could rain down from one person to another,” she wrote, expressing gratitude to her team of doctors and nurses.
“There were caregivers, some of whom I saw only once, who shared their own breast cancer stories with me. They seemed placed along my path just in the moments when I needed them most,” Fischer penned.
“I was connected to other cancer survivors who coached me along the way. Strangers who are now sisters. It reinforced just how powerful sharing can be for the next person taking this journey.”
The actress said her friends and family also played an integral role in her support system. “Every gesture, big or small, was felt. All of it was perfect,” she shared.
Fischer also conveyed her appreciation for her husband, screenwriter Lee Kirk. The couple, who wed in 2010, share two children, son Weston, 13, and daughter Harper, 10.
“[Lee] was there for it all. I knew he was a catch when I married him. I was right,” the actress wrote.
“After my final chemo and radiation treatments, Lee asked me if there was anything I wanted to do to celebrate. I said I simply wanted to ring a bell with the kids in our backyard, with everyone throwing confetti. So we did.”
