Jane Fonda announces she has non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
"This is a very treatable cancer… so I feel very lucky," Fonda wrote on her Instagram
Jane Fonda took to social media today to announce that she’s been diagnosed with cancer, and, more specifically, non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Writing on her Instagram account, Fonda (who’s 84) expressed optimism about her prognosis, noting that this is “a very treatable cancer.”
Stating that she’s already begun chemotherapy, Fonda wrote that, “80% of people survive, so I feel very lucky.” Then, being, well, Jane Fonda, she pivoted the conversation to talking about the wider political ramifications of a moment like this, in terms of the American healthcare system:
I’m also lucky because I have health insurance and access to the best doctors and treatments. I realize, and it’s painful, that I am privileged in this. Almost every family in America has had to deal with cancer at one time or another and far too many don’t have access to the quality health care I am receiving and this is not right.
In addition to healthcare, Fonda also directed attention back toward her frequent and spirited efforts at climate activism, noting that “the midterms are looming,” and that “they are beyond consequential so you can count on me to be right there together with you.”
Fonda has remained a very prolific presence in Hollywood in recent years; her resumé remains as busy now as it was in the 1960s and ’70s, albeit with an increased focus on TV and voice work. Her most recent credits include, of course, her multi-year run on Netflix’s Grace And Frankie, opposite Lily Tomlin; she also had a starring role in the animated TV series Stoner Cats, and made a recent voice appearance in Apple TV+’s Luck, playing a magical dragon in the animated feature. Fonda’s upcoming credits include Paul Weitz’s Moving On, plus a sequel to her 2018 film Book Club.