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Jenna Fischer Found Out About Her Cancer Diagnosis While Hiking: "I Really Lost It"
The star joined TODAY to speak with Hoda Kotb about her cancer journey.
The Office's Jenna Fischer revealed her breast cancer diagnosis in early October 2024. And after appearing on TODAY for a candid conversation with Hoda Kotb, fans received an inside look at Fischer's cancer journey — and eventual recovery.
On October 8, Fischer announced she had been diagnosed with Stage 1 Triple Positive Breast Cancer — but followed up the announcement with some excellent news: She had finished chemotherapy and is now cancer-free.
On October 21, Fischer joined TODAY and spoke extensively of her thought process, from diagnosis to chemotherapy.
As it turns out, early detection played a significant part in Fischer's recovery. After awaiting results from a routine mammogram, Fischer recalled that she felt "no level of concern" when doctors advised her to follow up with a breast ultrasound. However, the news that followed came as a big surprise.
Fischer said she was on a hike by herself when she digitally received her ultrasound results.
"I checked the portal on the hike, and that's when I saw words like 'invasive,' 'ductal,' 'carcinoma,' 'malignant,'" she said. "And I was like, 'Those words sound like cancer words.'"
After receiving a call from her doctor to confirm the diagnosis, Fischer said she felt "disbelief."
"I think the word that really got me was when we found out that I was triple-positive and my oncologist said chemotherapy," she revealed. "That was when I really lost it."
Fischer started treatment immediately — she lost a small patch of hair — and leaned on the people she loved the most during the difficult road ahead. The 50-year-old credited her support system — including her family and close friends — for helping her live her life as normally as possible as she was undergoing chemotherapy.
"So many people took care of me and my family and my children, and I am so grateful for it — in so many small ways," she said. "And the thing is, is that everybody had the right way or the perfect way to do it."
Although she is still taking post-treatment medication, Fischer currently has a clean bill of health: her breast cancer is officially in remission.
Jenna Fischer thanks TODAY and Hoda Kotb for giving her a voice
In a heartfelt Instagram photo of herself and Kotb shared on October 21, Fischer thanked the morning show and Kotb herself for giving her a platform to tell her story and to raise awareness of early cancer screenings.
"A big thank you to @hodakotb and everyone at the @todayshow for having me on to talk about my journey with breast cancer," Fischer captioned. "I hope that hearing my story will be comforting to any women out there also on this journey. I'm still walking through this every day. But there are more good days than bad. Being able to put my experience to use somehow helps a lot."
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The star's advice to fans is straightforward.
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"Another reminder to get your mammogram and any follow up tests your doctor recommends," she wrote. "Ninety-nine percent of women who receive an early breast cancer diagnosis survive it. Early detection is why my treatment was so successful."
