Less than a week after revealing that she has non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, legendary actor and activist Jane Fonda is updating fans on her health.
Writing on her blog Tuesday, Fonda shared gratitude for the many kind messages she received after last week’s announcement and reiterated that she has “a very treatable cancer.”
While acknowledging that her situation is serious, Fonda maintained a lighthearted attitude.
“Since last week, so many people have written to me or posted that they have had this type of cancer and have been cancer-free for many decades,” the “Grace and Frankie” star wrote. “Well, I’ll soon be 85 so I won’t have to worry about ‘many decades.’ One will do just fine.”
Three weeks into her first chemotherapy session, Fonda said, “I feel stronger than I have in years.” She has also embraced her famously active lifestyle to combat the fatigue she feels from her treatments, even posting a video of herself doing squats.
The two-time Oscar winner reassured fans that she recognizes her privileged access to high-quality healthcare.
“As I said in my statement last week, I am painfully aware that the top-drawer treatment I receive is not something everyone in this country can count on and I consider that a travesty. It isn’t fair, and I will continue to fight for quality health care for all.”
Fonda, who in February 2020 kicked off a series of monthly protests in California to bring attention to the climate crisis, also showcased her commitment to activism.
“This diagnosis has only made me more determined than ever to continue to end the deadly effects of fossil fuels,” she wrote. “While most of us know that fossil fuels are the primary cause of the climate crisis, many may not know that fossil fuel emissions also cause cancer as well as other major health problems like birth defects, childhood leukemia, heart attacks, strokes, lung disease and preterm birth.
“We must find a way to come together to put an end to this deadly correlation…,” she added. “We have it within our power to change this and I intend to do everything in my power to do so. This cancer will not deter me.”
In October 2021, Fonda joined Orange County politicians in Laguna Beach to address the need to protect the ocean and said that a commitment to ending offshore oil drilling must be made not just locally but at the state and federal level too.
In her cancer announcement last week, the “Coming Home” star shared a message of unity and growth.
“One thing [the diagnosis has] 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.”