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Jenna Fischer supported by Christina Applegate after her cancer diagnosis

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Jenna Fischer supported by Christina Applegate after her cancer diagnosis

Jenna Fischer revealed that Christina Applegate was one of the first people she called after she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.

In an interview on the TODAY show that aired Monday, the former “The Office” star described her experience battling Stage 1 triple-positive breast cancer. Fischer, 50, revealed her diagnosis in an April 8 post. October announced that her cancer had been detected early through imaging tests and that she was now cancer-free.

Applegate was among the first people she called after receiving her diagnosis, Fischer told TODAY anchor Hoda Kotb. The Emmy-winning “Dead to Me” star connected Fischer with other survivors to provide a supportive space for them on their journeys.

“I called her and she answered the phone and said, 'Which one is it?' And I said, 'It's breast cancer.' And she said, 'I fucking knew it,'” Fischer recalled of their conversation. “She’s salty. This language is salty. I love her for that.”

In 2021, Applegate was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which she said happened while filming the third season of her Netflix series Dead to Me. In an X post this year, she told fans: “It's been a strange journey. But I have been so supported by people who I know also suffer from this disease.”

Fischer kept the diagnosis secret during the podcast recording

Fischer also spoke about the outpouring of support she received from her loved ones, including her best friend and “Office Ladies” podcast co-host Angela Kinsley. She added that Kinsley helped keep her diagnosis a secret while recording episodes to “maintain a space where we can go and laugh and I'm not a cancer patient.”

“From the beginning she said, 'Whatever you need, tell me, I'm here.' And I said I want to keep working and I don’t want anyone at work to know,” Fischer said. “I need that.”

While she lost some of her hair during chemotherapy, Fischer wore a wig hat, and therefore Kinsley wore a hat in solitude.

“At first I just had a big bald spot on this side of my head. And I gave her a really elaborate comb-over,” she added with a laugh. “I thought to myself, 'Oh, I understand why the gentlemen are doing this now. Yes, I can pretend this doesn't exist for a while.'”

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Fischer urges women to book an “annoying” mammogram

Through this experience, Fischer said, she learned to rely on her support system, cope with humor and appreciate life's little inconveniences. However, she had an important insight that she wanted to share with the women watching at home.

“Please do not miss your mammogram appointment. “Please have any additional tests the doctor requests of you,” Fischer said.

Although she described making the appointment as “annoying,” she credited her exam with her early diagnosis, adding that self-examination wouldn't have been enough because the tumor was still too small.

“If I had waited another six months, things could have been much worse. It could have spread. It was a very aggressive form of cancer,” she told Kotb. “It was really that routine mammogram that started it all.” And I'm so grateful that I went to that appointment.

What is triple positive breast cancer?

Triple positive breast cancer, the diagnosis Fischer received, is estrogen receptor positive, progesterone receptor positive and HER2 positive.

According to the National Cancer Institute, breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women, after skin cancer, and the second leading cause of cancer-related death among American women. Breast cancer rates have risen 1% each year over the past decade, with women under 50 seeing the largest increase in cases, the American Cancer Society said in a report released last week.

The Affordable Care Act requires most insurance companies to cover annual mammography screenings for people age 40 and older. Earlier this year, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended biennial mammography screenings ages 40 to 74 for people at average risk of breast cancer.

Contributor: KiMi Robinson

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