Actress and activist Jane Fonda announced on social media on Friday that she is suffering from cancer.
Fonda, 84, said in an Instagram post that she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and had started a six-month cycle of chemotherapy.
“So, my dear friends, I have something personal that I want to share. I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and started chemotherapy treatments,” she wrote on Instagram. “This is a very treatable cancer,” she added, “so I feel very lucky.”
Non-Hoding lymphoma (NHL) is a cancer of the lymphatic tissue. This tissue is found in the lymph nodes, the spleen, and other organs of the immune system.
White blood cells, called lymphocytes, are found in lymphatic tissue. They help prevent infections. Most lymphomas begin in a type of white blood cell called a B lymphocyte, or B cell.
Fonda recognized that, unlike many, she is privileged to have insurance and access to the best doctors and care.
“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 that I’m getting, and this is not right,” he said.
The actress said she is handling the treatments well and will not let them interfere with her climate activism.
Fonda has dealt with cancer before. In 2010 she had a breast tumor removed. She has also had skin cancer.
About 80,000 people are diagnosed each year and 60,000 of them survive this type of cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. The risk of developing non-Hodgkin’s disease is 1 in 42 for men and 1 in 52 for women.
