Jane Fonda says she feels ‘stronger than she has in years’ after cancer diagnosis

Jane Fonda has spoken about her cancer diagnosis for the first time, writing in a lengthy blog post that she feels ‘stronger than she has in years.’

The actress, 84, shared that she was ‘deeply moved and uplifted by the expressions of love from fans,’ after revealing last week she’d been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

In a post on her official blog, Jane also shared that she was due to start chemotherapy in three weeks time, and despite battling the disease twice before, she’s been told her condition is ‘very treatable.’

In the post, Jane wrote: ‘I have been deeply moved and uplifted by all the expressions of love and support since I made public the fact that I’ve been diagnosed with B-cell Non-Hodgins Lymphoma. 

‘My heartfelt thanks to all. The messages of love and support mean the world to me.’

‘I want to say again that this is a very treatable cancer and much progress has been made with the medicines patients are given,’ she added.

‘Since last week, so many people have written to me or posted that they have had this type of cancer and have been cancer-free for many decades. 

‘Well, I’ll soon be 85 so I won’t have to worry about ”many decades.” One will do just fine.’

Detailing her current state of health, Jane explained she is feeling well ahead of her first chemotherapy session in three weeks time, and is following her doctor’s advice to keep active.

She added: ‘Today, about 3 weeks from my first chemo session, I must tell you that I feel stronger than I have in years.

‘The doctor told me the best antidote to the tiredness that chemotherapy can cause is to move. Walk. And I have been walking. Very early before the record heat kicks in. Also working out.’

Jane also shared a YouTube video that showed her doing squats against a large green ball while holding a pair of dumbbells.

Fonda noted that this is not her first bout with the disease, as she has survived breast cancer, ‘and come through very well and she will do so again.’

She continued: ‘As I said in my statement last week, I am painfully aware that the top-drawer treatment I receive is not something everyone in this country can count on and I consider that a travesty. It isn’t fair, and I will continue to fight for quality health care for all.’

She also noted that she is committed to her work ‘confronting the urgent climate crisis, caused by fossil fuels’ and will continue to campaign for the cause despite her health battle.

‘This diagnosis has only made me more determined than ever to continue to end the deadly effects of fossil fuels,’ she continued. 

‘While most of us know that fossil fuels are the primary cause of the climate crisis, many may not know that fossil fuel emissions also cause cancer as well as other major health problems like birth defects, childhood leukemia, heart attacks, strokes, lung disease and preterm birth,’ Fonda said. 

She added that we as a society, ‘must come together to put an end to this deadly correlation,’ and that too many families have suffered. 

‘It does not have to be this way. We have it within our power to change this and I intend to do everything in my power to do so. This cancer will not deter me,’ she insisted.

She went onto ask her fans to visit JanePAC.com, ‘to learn about our work to elect climate champions across the country and counter the outsized influence fossil fuel companies have on our government,’ while asking them to donate, ‘whatever you can.’ 

‘We need you, your friends, your family and colleagues. With the crucial midterms around the corner, it’s all hands on deck!’ she said.

She also asked fans to visit FireDrillFridays.org to learn how they can participate in various actions around the country.

The actions include the livestream on Friday, September 9, ‘featuring marine biologist John Hocevar, Director of Greenpeace’s oceans campaign who will tell us what happened at the recent UN Global Ocean Treaty.

‘Again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you all for your loving thoughts!’ she concluded.

On Friday, Jane took to Instagram to reveal she’d been diagnosed with cancer for the third time.

She wrote: ‘So, my dear friends, I have something personal I want to share.

‘I’ve been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and have started chemo treatments. This is a very treatable cancer. 80% of people survive, so I feel very lucky.’

The thrice-married star, who has previously battled the disease, went on to say she was ‘lucky’ to ‘have health insurance and access to the best doctors and treatment.’

Fonda, a two-time Oscar winner, added that she is ‘privileged as a celebrity.’

She has previously been diagnosed with both breast and skin cancer, and blamed the latter on her past love of sunbathing.

Fonda says she attended the 2016 Golden Globes in a ruffled white dress designed to disguise recent surgery she’d had to remove her breast.

She told Vogue: ‘I get out of the car and I have the strange white dress with all the ruffles? That’s because I’d just had a mastectomy and I had to cover my bandages.’

In her Instagram post, Fonda reassured fans and loved ones and said she would need to acclimate to a new reality as she fights the cancer.

‘Cancer is a teacher and I’m paying attention to the lessons it holds for me,’ she wrote. ‘One thing it’s shown me already is the importance of community. Of growing and deepening one’s community so that we are not alone.

‘And the cancer, along with my age – almost 85 – definitely teaches the importance of adapting to new realities.’

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects the body’s immune system, with symptoms including swollen lymph nodes, abdominal and chest pain, fevers, fatigue and weight loss.

The cancer can occur at any age, but the risks increases with age as it’s most common in people 60 and over, according to the Mayo Clinic.

The news comes on the heels of the final episode of Fonda and Lily Tomlin’s adult Netflix comedy series, Grace and Frankie, which aired the last season in April.

Fonda who has previously suffered from breast and skin cancer said in a 2019 interview that she ‘had a lot of cancer’ and that her battle was a ‘ongoing process’.

‘I’ve had a lot of cancer’ The Klute star said. ‘I was a sun-worshipper. When I have a day off, I frequently go to my skin doctor and have things cut off me by a surgeon.’

In 2010, she had a breast cancer scare, but doctors quickly discovered the cancer had not spread.

At the time, Fonda wrote of the scare on her internet blog: ‘I had a scare with a non-invasive breast cancer but it is ALL OUT NOW!!!’.

‘Iam so lucky,’ she added. ‘We got it early and it was, as I said,non-invasive. I want to thank my friends and fans who have writtenbeautiful ­letters. It has meant a lot to me.’

Recalling the 2016 Golden Globes, where she was nominated for best supporting actress in Youth, she said: ‘I get out of the car and I have the strange white dress with all the ruffles? That’s because I’d just had a mastectomy and I had to cover my bandages.’

The two-time Academy Award winner, who underwent a lumpectomy for breast cancer in 2010, added her battle is a ‘ongoing process’.

In 2018 Fonda had a cancerous growth removed from her lower lip, which was likely basal-cell carcinoma (the most common form of skin cancer).

‘I just want to explain the bandage,’ the 80-year-old acting legend told the AOL BUILD Series audience.

‘I just had a cancer taken from my lip. I thought it was going to heal in time before I came before you, but it’s fine. I just want to explain it. I don’t normally go around like this. The world is falling apart. What’s a lip?’

Fonda has been open about the health implications of getting older, admitting her ‘whole body hurts’ because of osteoporosis, a condition that weakens bones, making them fragile and more likely to break.

‘The fact that I hurt a lot – my body hurts – is a surprise to me, and it’s not because of all that working out,’ she said.

‘It’s genetic. My father Henry had it, my brother Peter had it. Your cartilage disappears and then it’s bone on bone, and then “ow”. But we live in a time where you can just get a new one.’