Jane Fonda, a US actress and activist, revealed Friday that she has Cancer and has started chemotherapy in her fight against the condition. The 84-year-old Oscar winner, a well-known Democrat, promised to battle the “extremely manageable” condition.
“I’ve been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and have started chemo treatments,” she wrote on her verified Instagram account.
“This is a very treatable cancer. 80 percent of people survive, so I feel very lucky.
“I’m also lucky because I have health insurance and access to the best doctors and treatments.”
The outspoken environmentalist and social activist Fonda claimed that she was in a better position than many people in similar circumstances.
“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,” she wrote.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of cancer that develops into extensive tumors after beginning in the lymphatic system, which is a component of the body’s immune systems.
The Mayo Clinic lists a number of symptoms that can include swollen lymph nodes, chest pain, coughing, breathing difficulties, chronic fatigue, and fever.
“In most instances, doctors don’t know what causes non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma,” the clinic says on its website.
“It begins when your body produces too many abnormal lymphocytes, which are a type of white blood cell.”
“This oversupply of lymphocytes crowds into your lymph nodes, causing them to swell,” the clinic’s website states.
“In most situations, doctors don’t know what causes non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma,” the clinic writes on its website.
It starts when your body makes an excessive number of aberrant lymphocytes, a class of white blood cells.
Climate activism
Fonda swore that her treatment would not stop her from advocating for the environment and called for action on the use of fossil fuels, which she connected to cancer.
“I’m undergoing chemo for six months, and I’m managing the treatments fairly well. Trust me when I say that none of this will stop me from being an active climate activist.
Because what we do or don’t do today will impact the future, we are living through the most important period in human history.
“I won’t let cancer stop me from doing everything I can and using all the tools in my toolbox.”
