“The Office” star Jenna Fischer revealed she recently battled breast cancer.
In an Instagram post Tuesday, the actress, 50, announced to her followers that she was diagnosed with stage 1 triple-positive breast cancer in December 2023.
“After completing surgery, chemotherapy and radiation I am now cancer free,” she made sure to note.
Fischer — who “never thought” she’d be “making an announcement like this” — said she was inspired to share her story during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is October.
“I wanted a photo of myself in my patchy pixie looking happy and healthy to go along with this news,” she explained of the accompanying picture, which showed her smiling while holding a coffee mug.
“A big thank you to Angela Kinsey’s husband Josh Snyder for taking this photo,” she added of her “Office” co-star-turned-best friend.
“It’s just one example of the care they showed me during this journey.”
Fischer — who shares son Weston, 13, and daughter Harper, 10, with longtime husband Lee Kirk — went on to detail the grueling treatment she endured.
“Back in October of 2023 I posted a photo of myself on Instagram preparing for my routine mammogram with a joking reminder to ‘take care of your ticking time bags’ a la Michael Scott,” Fischer explained, noting that the mammogram’s inconclusive results led to an ultrasound and then a biopsy, which ultimately led to the diagnosis.
While triple-positive breast cancer “is an aggressive form of breast cancer,” Fischer pointed out that “it is also highly responsive to treatment.”
She underwent a lumpectomy in January, during which the tumor was removed. Though her “cancer was caught early and it hadn’t spread into [her] lymph nodes or throughout the rest of [her] body,” the aggressive nature of the cancer “still required chemotherapy and radiation to be sure it didn’t return.”
The actress then began 12 rounds of chemo in February, followed by three weeks of radiation in June.
“I lost my hair during chemotherapy but thanks to some great wigs and hats with hair (which my family affectionately called Wigats) I have been able to wait until now to reveal all that has been going on for me,” Fisher wrote.
“And while I continue to be treated with infusions of Herceptin and a daily dose of Tamoxifen,” she added, “I’m happy to say I’m feeling great.”
Fisher went on to reveal her reasons for going public with her battle, first citing that she’s “ready to ditch the wigs.”
More importantly, however, she emphasized the importance of annual mammograms, explaining, “My tumor was so small it could not be felt on a physical exam. If I had waited six months longer, things could have been much worse. It could have spread.”
Fischer continued, “As anyone who has had a cancer diagnosis knows, your life changes immediately. It becomes all about doctor appointments, test results, treatments and recovering from treatments. Suddenly everything in your life is geared around one thing: fighting cancer.”
She credited her “amazing village” — including her medical team, family and friends — with saving her life.
Fischer also gave pal Kinsey, with whom she co-hosts the “Office Ladies” podcast, a special shout-out.
“Thankfully I’ve been able to keep working during treatments. This was all because I work with my best friend Angela Kinsey who protected me and advocated for me,” Fischer penned, adding that Kinsey, 53, was at one point “the only person in [her] workspace who knew.”
“When I lost my hair,” Fischer explained, “she wore hats to our work meetings so I wouldn’t be the only one. When I needed a break, we took one.”
The mother of two made sure to say her “kids are great” and that they “took this journey as a family.”
She concluded her message by expressing gratitude for her husband, who was “literally by [her] side” during her “surgeries, chemotherapy, doctor appointments, endless googling [and] late night ugly cries.”
“After my final chemo and radiation treatments Lee asked me if there was anything I wanted to do to celebrate. I said I simply wanted to ring a bell, with the kids, in our backyard, with everyone throwing confetti. So, we did it,” the actress shared, including a picture of the special moment.
She added that she was “recently re-screened, and the treatments worked” because she continues to be “cancer free.”