Jane Fonda is an incredibly strong woman who has been open and candid about her health over the years. The actress and activist battled cancer twice, first with breast cancer in 2010 and later with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, which she revealed at age 84. Throughout her treatment, Fonda kept her fans informed, sharing updates on her progress and chemotherapy stages. Thankfully, after several months of treatment, her cancer has been in remission since the end of 2022.
Aside from her battle with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, the now 87-year-old has also shared her tips and strategies for maintaining good health throughout her life. She famously launched her own series of workout videos in 1982, encouraging others to stay active and healthy. Discover more about Fonda’s cancer journey and health updates here.
Fonda went public with her diagnosis of non-Hodgkins lymphoma in a lengthy Instagram post in September 2022. She was 84 when she was diagnosed, and she revealed that she would undergo six months of chemotherapy. “I’ve been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and have started chemo treatments,” she wrote. “This is a very treatable cancer. 80% of people survive, so I feel very lucky.”
Fonda continued and took the opportunity to highlight that while she would be able to treat her cancer and be able to pay with insurance, not everyone has that ability. “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,” she wrote. “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.”
Besides pointing out the issue of some people having difficulty accessing healthcare, she also wrote that she would continue to keep up her climate activism amidst her battle with cancer. “I will not allow cancer to keep me from doing all I can, using every tool in my toolbox and that very much includes continuing to build this Fire Drill Fridays community and finding new ways to use our collective strength to make change,” she wrote.
Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma is a form of cancer that attacks the part of the body that creates the immune system, causing white blood cells to grow abnormally, according to the Mayo Clinic. This can lead to tumors forming. Swelling in the lymph nodes, weight loss, fatigue, fever, and more are symptoms of this form of cancer, per The National Cancer Institute. As Fonda mentioned in her post, the survival rate is high for non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Various factors, such as age and the stage affect how likely survival is, but the average five-year survival rate is 74%, per The American Cancer Society.
After announcing her cancer diagnosis in September 2022, Fonda shared that chemotherapy had been highly effective and kept her followers updated on her progress. Shortly into treatment, she posted a blog post saying she felt stronger than ever. “Well 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,” she wrote. “And I have been walking.”
