Jenna Fischer is more than Pam Beesly from “The Office.” The Emmy-nominated actress and mother of two is also a cancer survivor.
Fischer got candid about her health on Tuesday, revealing on Instagram that she had been battling breast cancer since late 2023. “I am cancer free,” the “Office Ladies” podcast co-host said in an emotional post showing her “ irregularity”. pixie hairstyle and detailed her cancer journey.
“I will continue to be treated and monitored to help me stay that way,” she continued.
Fischer, 50, said her battle with cancer began in October 2023, when she had her annual mammogram. She said she received “inconclusive results” due to her dense breast tissue and underwent a breast ultrasound as a result. “They found something in my left breast,” Fischer said.
In December 2023, doctors biopsied the lump and diagnosed the actor with stage 1 triple-positive breast cancer. The cancer is “aggressive,” Fischer said, but it also responds very well to medication and treatment. When the new year came, she had a lumpectomy to remove the tumor. He also needed chemotherapy and radiation to ensure the cancer did not return.
Fischer said he underwent 12 rounds of chemotherapy starting in February and three weeks of radiation starting in June. Months later, the actress says she remains alert.
“I'm happy to say I feel great,” Fischer added.
The “Mean Girls” and “Splitting Up Together” actress encouraged her followers to get regular mammograms and emphasized that “things could have been a lot worse” if she had waited before seeking treatment. He also highlighted his support network, from his medical team to friends and family. “It takes a village to fight cancer,” Fischer said.
Fischer’s village friends included podcast co-host and “The Office” co-star Angela Kinsey (Angela Martin on the NBC comedy), who “protected me and advocated for me.”
“When I lost my hair, she wore hats to our work meetings so I wouldn't be the only one,” Fischer said of his longtime collaborator. “When I needed a break, we took it.”
In the final slides of her post, Fischer reflected on how cancer had affected her personal life (her children “saw the limitations cancer treatment had on me”) and shared how she celebrated her final rounds of chemotherapy and radiation with her husband Lee Kirk and family.
“Lee asked me if there was anything I wanted to do to celebrate. I said I just wanted to ring a bell, with the kids, in our backyard, with everyone throwing confetti,” Fischer said. The final slide of your post is a photo of that.
In the comments, Fischer received love from her Hollywood peers, including Quinta Brunson, Jennifer Garner, Questlove, Olivia Munn, Katie Couric and “The Office” co-star Ellie Kemper.
“I love you and by sharing your story you are helping so many women and saving so many lives,” wrote Munn, who went public with her own battle with breast cancer earlier this year. “You are simply the best.”
