Jenna Fischer Shares How She Told Her Kids About Her Breast Cancer Diagnosis — and What Was Most Important for Them to Know
The actress is mom to son Weston, 13, and daughter Harper, 10, who shares with husband Lee Kirk
Jenna Fischer recalls the moment she told her kids that she was diagnosed with stage 1 triple-positive breast cancer.
While chatting with Today's Hoda Kotb in an emotional sit-down that aired on the NBC morning show on Monday, Oct. 21, the actress, 50 — known for her role on The Office — opened up about her breast cancer journey. As a mom to son Weston, 13, and daughter Harper, 10, who she shares with husband Lee Kirk, Fischer also shared how she discussed her diagnosis with her children for the first time.
“They’re 10 and they’re 13, and they were going to be living in the house while I went through this," she told Kotb. "They’re going to see it."
"And the biggest thing that I wanted them to know was that any ways that I seemed sick during this process were side effects of treatments," she continued. "They weren’t cancer making me sick."
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Related: The Office Alum Jenna Fischer Reveals Breast Cancer Diagnosis
“That distinction, I think, really put them at ease," Fischer recalled. "And then we just kind of did it together. And they were amazing.”
The star added that Kirk was incredibly helpful in being there for her and her kids throughout her chemotherapy treatment.
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"My Husband, Lee, was absolutely incredible," she said. "A typical morning for us would be both of us getting up in the morning and making school lunches and doing school dropoffs."
Fischer teared us before adding, "Now I'm getting emotional about it, but, your know, the most I could do was just get downstairs and sit at the table with a cup of coffee, and he did all the rest."
The star first shared news of her diagnosis in an Oct. 8 Instagram post in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month. The Office alum underwent 12 rounds of chemo beginning in February and three weeks of radiation beginning in June. She has since been treated with infusions of two other medications which she will continue to be on until February 2025.
The good news is, however, that doctors have told Fischer there is no evidence of cancer any longer. Though her infusion center didn't have a bell, she celebrated the milestone in her backyard with her husband and two kids.
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