Jane Fonda has cancer and is doing treatments.
The 84-year-old celebrity opened up about her condition on Instagram Friday. She revealed she has non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, although she noted that it is a “very treatable cancer” as “80 percent of people survive.”
In a lengthy post, which includes a selfie photo of the Academy Award winner, she appeared optimistic and shared how “lucky” she feels.
People, in its piece covering the matter, quoted Fonda’s caption, writing, “So, my dear friends, I have something personal I want to share. I’ve been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and have started chemo treatments.”
It continues, “This is a very treatable cancer. 80 [percent] of people survive, so I feel very lucky.”
The “Monster-In-Law” actress also noted in the caption that she is “lucky” because of the privileges she has as she goes through with it. She says, “I have health insurance and access to the best doctors and treatments.”
However, Jane Fonda deemed the realization “painful” as “far too many don’t have access to the quality health care [she is] receiving,” adding that it is “not right.”
Elsewhere in the post, the award-winning actress revealed that she has been undergoing chemotherapy for six months. She assured fans and followers that she is “handling the treatments quite well” and emphasized that she “will not let any of this interfere with [her] climate activism.”
Fonda later wrote, “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.”
The post, which surfaced on Friday, has since amassed more than 307,000 likes on Instagram. It has also received tens of thousands of comments, with netizens making their concern, care, support, and love for the actress known.
Jane Fonda, who will turn 85 later this year, previously told Entertainment Tonight why it is “great” getting older. She explained that while it may sound “strange,” she said that “it beats the alternative, which is to die.”
The “Coming Home” star continued that “it is so hard to be young,” adding that “it is even [harder] now.”
ET quoted Fonda, explaining, “It is all like, ‘Who am I supposed to be? What am I supposed to do? What kind of a job am I supposed to have? Where am I supposed to go with my life? Why am I even here? Who should be my friends?’”
Elsewhere in the exchange, the actress pointed out that time shows what is really worth the worry. She said, “You know what to let go of, what does not really matter, so you are not carrying all the baggage.”