Jane Fonda says she has started chemo treatments for Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but sounded upbeat about her prognosis in a Friday post on Instagram.
“So, my dear friends, I have something personal I want to share,” she wrote. “I’ve been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and have started chemo treatments.
“This is a very treatable cancer. 80% of people survive, so I feel very lucky.”
Fonda is soon to star alongside friend and collaborator Lily Tomlin in “Moving On,” which premieres at the Toronto Film Festival.
Fonda being Fonda, the 84-year-old actress and longtime activist quickly turned the attention away to herself, and to her passions: “I will not let any of this interfere with my climate activism,” she wrote.
Read the rest of Fonda’s statement below:
“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. 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. For example, people need to know that fossil fuels cause cancer. So do pesticides, many of which are fossil fuel-based, like mine.
I’m doing chemo for 6 months and am handling the treatments quite well and, believe me, I will not let any of this interfere with my climate activism.
Cancer is a teacher and I’m paying attention to the lessons it holds for me. One thing it’s shown me already is the importance of community. Of growing and deepening one’s community so that we are not alone. And the cancer, along with my age — almost 85 — definitely teaches the importance of adapting to new realities.
We’re living through the most consequential time in human history because what we do or don’t do right now will determine what kind of future there will be and I will not allow cancer to keep me from doing all I can, using every tool in my toolbox and that very much includes continuing to build this Fire Drill Fridays community and finding new ways to use our collective strength to make change.
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.”