Jenna Fischer took to Instagram on Oct. 8 to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month and urge her followers to “get your annual mammograms.” But this year’s reminder is carrying a little more weight.
The 50-year-old actress, best known for her role as Pam Beesly on “The Office,” revealed that she was diagnosed with triple-positive breast cancer on December 1, 2023. She was just 49 years old at the time.
“I never thought I’d be making an announcement like this but here we are,” she wrote in the caption. “Last December, I was diagnosed with Stage 1 Triple Positive Breast Cancer.”
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“After completing surgery, chemotherapy and radiation I am now cancer free,” she added.
According to the MD Anderson Cancer Center, triple-positive breast cancer occurs when “breast cancer cells use estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, and the HER2 protein to grow.”
It accounts for about 10% of all breast cancer diagnoses. And while it’s an aggressive form of breast cancer, it’s one of the most responsive to therapies and treatments.
Fischer found out after a routine mammogram last year
The announcement comes one year after Fischer posted a photo of herself on Instagram as she prepared for her routine mammogram. That photo was posted on Oct. 17, 2023.
According to Fischer, the results from that mammogram came back inconclusive “due to dense breast tissue.” Her doctor ordered a biopsy after finding something in her left breast during an ultrasound.
In a matter of six weeks, she went from joking about taking care “of those ticking time bags” to learning she had breast cancer.
Her treatment included a lumpectomy in January to remove the tumor, followed by 12 rounds of weekly chemotherapy, which began in February, and three weeks of radiation, which started in June.
She continues to receive infusions of Herceptin and a daily dose of Tamoxifen as part of ongoing treatment, but says she’s currently “feeling great.”
Fischer urges others to get screened annually
In her long letter to followers, Fischer gave two reasons for making the announcement nearly a year after her diagnosis.
“One, I’m ready to ditch the wigs,” she said, adding that she lost her hair during chemotherapy. “Two, to implore you to get your annual mammograms.”
She also encouraged her followers to ask their doctor to “calculate your Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Score and get any additional screenings,” adding that her tumor couldn’t be felt in a physical exam.
“I’m also sharing this in hopes that it will be a source of support to any woman who is going through this right now. As anyone who has had a cancer diagnosis knows, your life changes immediately,” she wrote.
According to the American Cancer Society, about 310,720 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women this year. But most of those cases can be treated if caught in its earliest stages.
Fischer sends special thank you to her support team
Fischer spent the rest of her letter thanking the many people who crowded her with support throughout the diagnosis and treatment.
She described her team of doctors and nurses as “angels,” and showed appreciation for all the caregivers and fellow cancer survivors who shared their own stories with her.
“It takes a village to fight cancer, and I have had an amazing village,” she wrote. “Each person had their own special way of caring for us. … Every gesture big or small was felt. All of it was perfect.”
She sent a special shoutout to fellow The Office alum Angela Kinsey, who was “the only person in [her] workspace who knew” about it. The two continued filming their Office Ladies podcast during treatment.
She also thanked her husband, Lee Kirk, and her two children for being by her side through it all.
“After my final chemo and radiation treatments, [husband] 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,” she wrote. “So, we did it.”
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Fischer ended her letter by confirming that she was recently re-screened, and the treatments worked. “I am cancer free. I will continue to be treated and monitored to help me stay that way.”