The Office actor Jenna Fischer has revealed that she was diagnosed with an “aggressive” breast cancer last year and is now cancer-free after undergoing surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.
Fischer – who played receptionist Pam Beesly on the US version of The Office – shared her experience on Instagram on Tuesday to mark breast cancer awareness month.
“I never thought I’d be making an announcement like this but here we are,” she wrote in the caption.
In a series of slides, Fischer detailed her diagnosis, which began last October when she had posted a photo of herself preparing for a routine mammogram “with a joking reminder to ‘take care of your ticking time bags’ a la Michael Scott”.
After inconclusive results, an ultrasound revealed a mass in her left breast, and she was diagnosed with stage one triple positive breast cancer in December.
Her form of cancer, Fischer said, was “aggressive” but also highly treatable. In January, she had a lumpectomy – a surgery to remove a portion of breast tissue.
The cancer hadn’t spread but to make sure it didn’t return, she underwent chemotherapy in February and then radiation in June, as well as receiving ongoing “infusions of Herceptin and a daily dose of Tamoxifen”.
“I’m happy to say I’m feeling great,” she continued.
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Fischer said that she was able to keep the cancer private until now thanks to “some great wigs and hats with hair”.
She was making the diagnosis public, she explained, to “implore” others to book mammograms and take measures to catch cancer early.
“I’m serious, call your doctor right now,” she added. “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 … Consider this your kick in the butt to get it done.”
Fischer also wrote that she was sharing her experience to support other women with a breast cancer diagnosis: “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.”
The actor thanked the “amazing village” of medical professionals, friends, family and other cancer survivors that had helped her for the past year – including her Office co-star and Office Ladies podcast co-host Angela Kinsey, who “protected me and advocated for me”.
“For a long time, she was the only person in my workspace who knew,” Fischer said. “When I lost my hair, she wore hats to our work meetings so I wouldn’t be the only one. When I needed a break, we took one.”
Fischer played Pam Beesly on The Office for all nine seasons from 2005 to 2013, and won a supporting actress Emmy for her performance. Her most recent role was in this year’s musical film adaptation of Mean Girls.