Jane Fonda was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and started chemotherapy.
The 1980s aerobics actress and guru turned activist shared the news on her Instagram account, saying she feels “very lucky” because cancer is “very treatable.”
Fonda, 84, said he wanted to make people aware that many Americans “don’t have access to quality health care” and that he wanted to discuss the effects of fossil fuels on human health.
He said, “So, my dear friends, I have something personal that I want to share. I have been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and have started chemotherapy treatments.
“This is a very treatable cancer. Eighty percent of people survive, so I feel very lucky.
“I am also lucky because I have health insurance and I have access to the best doctors and treatments.
“I realize, and it is painful, that I am privileged in this.
“Almost every family in America has had cancer at one time or another and too many don’t have access to the quality health care I’m receiving, and that’s not fair.
“People need to know that fossil fuels cause cancer”
“We also need to talk a lot more about not just the cures, but also the causes so that we can eliminate them.
“For example, people need to know that fossil fuels cause cancer. As well as pesticides, many of which are fossil fuel based, like mine.”
Fonda, who has twice won the Oscar, said he had been undergoing chemotherapy for six months and was “managing the treatments quite well.”
Jane Fonda was arrested for protesting outside the Capitol in Washington DC while campaigning for US officials to take climate change seriously
‘Cancer is a teacher’
He added: “Cancer is a teacher and I am paying attention to the lessons it holds for me. One thing it has already shown me is the importance of community. To grow and deepen your community so that you are not alone.
“And cancer, along with my age – nearly 85 – definitely teaches the importance of adapting to new realities.
“We are experiencing the most consequential moment in human history because what we do or don’t do right now will determine what kind of future there is and I will not allow cancer to stop me from doing everything I can, using every tool in my toolbox and that includes a lot of continuing to build this Fire Drill Fridays community and finding new ways to use our collective strength to bring about change. “
He said the US mid-term elections in November are “beyond irrelevant”, adding, “You can count on me to be right there with you as we grow our army of climate champions.”
