Jenna Fischer spoke about her treatment journey after being diagnosed with breast cancer late last year — especially her concerns over losing her hair.
The Office alum came forward with the news earlier this month, noting that she underwent surgery, 12 rounds of chemotherapy, and three rounds of radiation. "I’m happy to say that I was recently re-screened, and the treatments worked," she added. "I am cancer-free. I will continue to be treated and monitored to help me stay that way."
In a new interview with The Today Show, Jenna said that she initially went in for a belated routine mammogram that led to an "eye-roll"-inducing ultrasound and another mammogram. It was after an ensuing biopsy that led to her diagnosis of Stage 1 triple-positive breast cancer.
"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.' I did not throw up, but I did lose my hair," she continued. “I started by having just a big bald patch down this side of my head. And I would kind of do a real elaborate comb-over. I was like, ‘Oh, I understand why the gentlemen do this now.' But I never had a big shave-your-head moment."
Jenna then praised her Office Ladies costar Angela Kinsey for her support. "From the beginning, she said, 'Whatever you need, you tell me, I'm here.' I said, 'I want to keep working and I don't want anyone to know at work. At work, I want that to be a space where we go and we laugh and I'm not a cancer patient. I need that,'" Jenna explained.
"When I started to lose my hair, I would wear my hats with my hair coming out. We call them wig-ats, [like] wig-hats. She started wearing hats to work so I wouldn't be the only person in a work meeting wearing a hat. It was amazing," she continued, appearing emotional.
You can watch the full interview with Jenna here.
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