The Office star Jenna Fischer has told of her fight against an aggressive cancer – found after she reminded her followers to get themselves checked out. The actress, who played Pam Beesley on NBC’s The Office, told how she had undergone a lumpectomy as well as chemotherapy and radiation treatment after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
And writing on Instagram during breast cancer awareness month, she told how she had discovered she had the disease after a routine mammogram last year – which she had posted about shortly before having the check-up. She says: “Back in October of 2023 I posted a photo of myself on Instagram preparing for my routine mammogram with a hiking reminder to ‘take care of your ticking time bags’ a la Michael Scott.”
She said the check, however, had proved inconclusive because of dense breast tissue, so she had further tests. She added: “They found something in my left breast. 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.” She went on to have a lumpectomy to remove the tumour.
She said: “Luckily my cancer was caught early and it hadn’t spread into my lymph nodes or throughout the rest of my body, however because of the aggressive nature of triple positive breast cancer it still required chemotherapy and radiation to be sure it didn’t return.”
Jenna had 12 rounds of weekly chemotherapy and then three weeks of radiation therapy. She is continuing to take medication to keep it at bay. But she added: “I’m happy to say I’m feeling great.”
She said she had decided to make the announcement as she had lost her hair during treatment and while wigs and “hats with hair” had meant she had been able to keep things quiet she had decided to “ditch the wigs”.
And she also said she was speaking out to encourage others to have check ups telling followers she “implored” them to have their routine mammograms. She added: “I’m serious, call our doctor right now,”My tuour 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 of 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.”
She said she was also hoping to support others who were going through the same thing saying: “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.”
Saying it “takes a village to fight cancer” she thanked every one from the medical teams and carers to friends and family but had special thanks for former fellow The Office star and best friend Angela Kinsey, who played Angela Martin in the show, who she continues to work with.
She said: “For a long time, she was the only person in my workspace who knew. 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.”
Praising her husband Lee and children, who are aged 10 and 13, she said: “We took this journey as a family.” She said Lee had asked her what to do after her final chemo and radiation treatments.
She said: “I simply wanted to ring a bell with the kids, in our backyard, with everyone throwing confetti. So, we did it.”
She said she had recently been rescreened and she was now cancer-free but would continue to be monitored. She added: “Again, don’t skip your mammogram. Take it from Pam and her Pam Pams. Michael was right. Get ’em checked ladies. And know that should you get a breast cancer diagnosis there is a village waiting to care for you.”