LOS ANGELES — Jenna Fischer, who starred as Pam in nine seasons of "The Office," revealed on social media Tuesday that she is cancer-free after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer and undergoing treatment for nearly a year.
"October is breast cancer awareness month. I never thought I’d be making an announcement like this but here we are. Last December, I was diagnosed with Stage 1 Triple Positive Breast Cancer," Fischer wrote in a statement posted to Instagram. "After completing surgery, chemotherapy and radiation I am now cancer free.
Fischer shared a carousel of photos that included a photo of what she described as her "patchy pixie" haircut of regrown hair after chemo treatment.
"Back in October of 2023 I posted a photo of myself on Instagram preparing for my routine mammogram with a joking reminder to ‘take care of your ticking time bags' a la Michael Scott," she wrote. After inconclusive results on that mammogram due to dense breast tissue, my doctor ordered a breast ultrasound. They found something in my left breast. A biopsy was ordered. Then, on December 1, 2023, I learned I had Stage 1 Triple Positive Breast Cancer. Triple positive breast cancer is an aggressive form of breast cancer but it is also highly responsive to treatment. "
Fischer had a lumpectomy in January to remove the tumor, she said. Although the cancer hadn't spread, the aggressive nature of the type of cancer required 12 rounds of chemotherapy and three weeks of radiation. Fischer is still receiving infusions of Herceptin and a daily dose of Tomixifen, but she says she is "feeling great."
Fischer said she lost her hair during chemotherapy but was able to keep her diagnosis private using various wigs, adding that many people in her life didn't know about her diagnosis until very recently. She said she is "ready to ditch the wigs" and share her battle publicly. She also wrote that she wants to encourage women to get regular mammograms.
"I'm serious, call your doctor right now. My tumor was so small it could not be felt on a physical exam. If I had waited six months longer, things could have been much worse. It could have spread. Seeing women post photos from their mammogram appointments on Instagram needled me into setting my own (which I was late for). I'm so glad I did. Consider this your kick in the butt to get it done."
Fischer also offered support to fellow cancer patients.
"As anyone who has had a cancer diagnosis knows, your life changes immediately. It becomes all about doctor appointments, test results, treatments and recovering from treatments. Suddenly everything in your life is geared around one thing: fighting cancer. It takes a village to fight cancer, and I have had an amazing village. Until this happened, I don't think I really knew the generosity and kindness that could rain down from one person to another."
She thanked her doctors and nurses, "all of them angels," and praised her caregivers, her friends and her family for their love and support.
"Every gesture big or small was felt. All of it was perfect."
She gave a special shoutout to her husband, Lee, for staying by her side through "surgeries, chemotherapy, doctor appointments, endless googling, late night ugly cries." Fischer ended her note with another callback to "The Office," encouraging her followers again not to skip their mammogram.
"Take it from Pam and her Pam Pams. Michael was right," she wrote. "Get 'em checked ladies. And know that should you get a breast cancer diagnosis, there is a village waiting to care for you."