Jane Fonda’s Health: Her Battle With Cancer Explained & Updates – Hollywood Life

Jane Fonda’s Health: All About Her Cancer Battle, Remission & How She’s Doing Today

The Oscar-winning actress has been very open about her battle with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in recent years. Find out more about her health here.

Reading Time: 4 minutes
View gallery
Image Credit: Luca Carlino/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

  • Jane Fonda was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.
  • She announced that she was battling cancer in September 2022.
  • As of December 2022, Jane Fonda is thankfully in remission!

Jane Fonda has been very frank in discussing her battle with cancer in the past year. Since going public with her diagnosis, the actress, 85, has regularly shared updates with her fans on how she’s feeling and what stages of treatment she was going through. Thankfully, after a few months of chemotherapy, Jane’s cancer has been in remission since the end of 2022.

Aside from her Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, Jane has also regularly shared her tips and strategies for her continued good health throughout her life. She notably even made her own series of workout videos, beginning in 1982. Find out more about Jane’s battle with cancer and more health updates here.

Jane is seen at the ’80 For Brady’ premiere in January 2023. (Rob Latour/Shutterstock)

Jane Fonda Diagnosed With Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.

Jane 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.”

Jane 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.

What Is Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma?

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 Jane 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.

How Long Has Jane Fonda Been Sick?

Jane has been very health conscious, even making workout videos in the 1980s. (Mgm/Kobal/Shutterstock)

While Jane announced her cancer diagnosis in September 2022, she revealed that the chemo worked very well, and she regularly gave health updates. Shortly after beginning treatment, she wrote a blog post to say that she was doing very well. “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.”

Luckily, just months after revealing that she had been diagnosed with cancer, Jane revealed that she was in remission in December 2022. “Last week I was told by my oncologist that my cancer is in remission and I can discontinue chemo. I am feeling so blessed, so fortunate,” she wrote on her website and Instagram.

How Is Jane Fonda Doing Today?

Months after completing her chemo treatment, Jane has said that she still feels very good after beating cancer. She partnered with H&M for a new line of fitness wear, and she shared that she still regularly works out and feels good. “They say that you should walk 10,000 steps a day – I find that hard so I don’t walk 10,000, I walk 5,000. Something is better than nothing. If I’m walking and working out I don’t feel my age,” she said in a campaign video.

Jane stuns in a black gown at Cannes. (Luca Carlino/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)

Jane appears to be doing well since her cancer was in remission. While she was seen in a wheelchair at LAX at the end of May, she has continued attending events and looks fantastic. She shared a photo of herself in a beautiful black gown at the Cannes Film Festival in May on her Instagram.