From BZ/dpa
At 84, Jane Fonda is still in front of the camera and takes to the streets as a climate activist. She doesn’t want to let cancer slow her down. The Oscar winner shares her diagnosis and is confident.
Hollywood star Jane Fonda (84) is suffering from cancer. The actress announced on Friday (local time) on Instagram. She was diagnosed with so-called non-Hodgkin lymphoma and started chemotherapy, wrote the two-time Oscar winner (“Klute”, “Coming Home”) on the social network.
She has a cancer that is responding very well to treatment. Fonda wrote that 80 percent of patients would survive. Therefore, she considers herself “very lucky”.
She also has good health insurance and access to the best doctors. “I realize, and it’s painful, that I’m privileged in that regard. Almost every family in America has been through cancer, and far too many don’t have access to the kind of medical care I have, and that’s not right.” There’s also a need to talk about what causes cancer and take action. According to figures from the US Cancer Society, around 80,000 people will be diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the United States in 2022 and around 20,000 people will die from it.
“Graceful Queen,” wrote Naomi Campbell
Tens of thousands of fans used the web platform for get well wishes. “Graceful Queen,” wrote model Naomi Campbell. “Even in these trying times you share your wisdom with us.” Actress Diane Keaton commented, “We love you Jane. You are my hero. you are a fighter All my life I have been in awe of everything you do.”
She tolerated the chemotherapy quite well, Fonda continued. Illness and treatment would not slow down her commitment to climate protection, she asserted. This is a very important time in human history to work together for change and for the future. “The midterm elections are coming and they are beyond significant,” Fonda wrote, referring to the upcoming US elections in November. “You can count on me to stand right by your side as we continue to grow our squads of climate champions.”
Arrested several times as an activist
Fonda, who turns 85 in December, has been politically active for decades. In the 1970s, she protested loudly against the Vietnam War. Most recently, she made headlines with her work as a climate protection activist. She was arrested several times during protests in Washington.
As an actress, Fonda was most recently in front of the camera for the Netflix comedy series “Grace and Frankie”. In 2018 she was seen in the cinema in the comedy “Book Club”. Away from the screen, sport and health have always been important themes in Fonda’s public appearances.
“My body is basically not mine”
In the 1980s, the “Barbarella” star triggered a wave of fitness. With aerobic videos, and later also with stretching and yoga, she built up a fitness empire. Decades later, she received an artificial knee joint and a new hip. In 2010 she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent successful surgery. In 2018, when she appeared for an interview with a band-aid on her lower lip, Fonda said a cancerous growth had been removed there.
Last April she spoke about getting older. “I am very aware that I am closer to death. And I don’t really mind that much,” she said in an interview on the CBS Sunday Morning television show. “What bothers me is that my body isn’t actually mine,” she said. “My knees are not mine, my hips are not mine, my shoulder is not mine.”
Nevertheless, she is satisfied with her everyday life. “The fact is, at almost 85, I’m still alive and working. Wow! Who cares if I don’t have my old joints anymore? And you can no longer ski, cycle or jog?” You can feel really old at 60 and “really young” at 85.