In a heartfelt interview with Today’s Hoda Kotb, Jenna Fischer, best known for her role as Pam on The Office, shared her emotional experience battling breast cancer, including her unexpected feelings about hair loss during chemotherapy. The actress, now 50, reflected on the challenges of facing chemo after being diagnosed last year, and how losing her hair became a significant part of her journey.
“When they told me I had to have chemo, the first thing I thought was, ‘I don’t want to throw up, and I don’t want to lose my hair,’” Fischer recalled. While the treatment spared her from the nausea she dreaded, it did take her hair in fits and starts, leaving her with patchy bald spots rather than complete hair loss. “I kind of did a real elaborate comb-over,” she shared, recounting the tough experience.
Rather than shaving her head, Fischer chose a more gradual approach, never fully removing her hair. “I never had a big shave-your-head moment,” she explained. “I always had a little hair… and since I was trying to stay undercover, those little bits of flyaways helped with the illusion of hair.” Fischer’s family even nicknamed the hats and wigs she wore her “Wigats.”
After enduring 12 rounds of chemotherapy, three weeks of radiation, and additional treatments, Fischer is now ready to embrace her new look, shedding her wigs and sporting a shorter hairstyle. More importantly, after months of fighting, her doctors have confirmed that there is no longer any evidence of cancer. “I’m feeling great,” she said.
The actress first revealed her diagnosis in an Instagram post on October 8 to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In it, she encouraged women to stay vigilant with their health by keeping up with annual mammograms and calculating their Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Score. Fischer, who has two children with her husband, Lee Kirk, reflected on how close her situation could have come to being worse if she had delayed her screening. “If I had waited six months longer, things could have been much worse. It could have spread.”
Despite her infusion center not having a bell to ring to signal the end of treatment, Fischer celebrated the milestone at home, surrounded by her loved ones, grateful to be on the other side of a difficult battle. Her message to women everywhere: don’t wait to take control of your health. “Consider this your kick in the butt to get it done.”
—
Photo Credit: DFree / Shutterstock.com