Finding Support to Help You Through Your Cancer Journey
“The Office” actress Jenna Fischer, 51, is a triple-positive breast cancer survivor. She credits her ability to stay uplifted during her cancer journey to her friend and fellow TV star Clea Shearer, who is also a breast cancer survivor.
For cancer patients, the early stages of a diagnosis are often stressful. One benefit of having supporters around is they can help alleviate stress and anxiety following your diagnosis. They can also advocate on your behalf during treatment.
Triple-positive breast cancer is a subtype of breast cancer where the tumor cells express estrogen (ER), progesterone receptors (PR), and the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) protein on its surface.
Hormone therapy is a treatment option for triple-positive breast cancer because it helps slow or stop the growth of hormone-sensitive cancer cells by blocking or reducing the effects of estrogen and progesterone.
“The Office” actress Jenna Fischer, 51, is navigating her breast cancer journey just a year and a half after being diagnosed with stage 1 triple-positive breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease.
In the face of uncertainty, Fischer found solace in fellow actress and breast cancer survivor “Home Edit” star Clea Shearer, 43, whom her friend “Married With Children” actress Christina Applegate, 53, introduced her to. Shearer’s support helped Fischer process the shock of her diagnosis, reminding her that she wasn’t alone in the fight.
“I did not know Clea before I was diagnosed with breast cancer,” Fischer said in an Instagram post.
“I cannot tell you all the ways Clea, a total stranger, made herself available to me,” Fischer added.
Jenna Fischer and Clea Shearer. Instagram/msjennafischer
“Clea immediately sprang into action. She listened to my fears, gave me great tips on how to deal with the multitude of side effects associated with each step of my treatment, promised me my hair would grow back, and made me laugh in my darkest times,” Fischer said.
“The Office” star says she is incredibly “lucky” to have Clea in her life. Having a strong support system can help make any cancer patient’s journey easier. Many cancer experts encourage patients to lean on their family and friends to get them through tough periods, such as undergoing chemotherapy, which can leave patients feeling tired or nauseated.
Strengthening Support & Connection Through Your Cancer Journey
If you are faced with a severe health challenge like Fischer’s, you likely know about the wide range of emotions that experience can bring.
Fischer, best known for her role as “Pam Beesly” on the hit TV show “The Office,” shared how helpful Shearer has been to her on her podcast, “Office Ladies.”
(@msjennafischer/Instagram)
“I was so excited to share about my dear friend and breast cancer mentor, Clea Shearer,” Fischer said.
For cancer patients, the days and weeks after being diagnosed can be a whirlwind of emotions. However, during these early stages, a team of supporters can be most helpful. Your supporters can be comprised of close family and friends or people from outside your inner circle.
“Some people don’t need to go outside of their family and friends circle.” New York-based psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchiktells SurvivorNet they feel they have enough support there.
“But for people who feel like they need a little bit more, it is important to reach out to a mental health professional,” she added.
One benefit of having supporters is that they can help alleviate stress and anxiety following your diagnosis. Supporters can also advocate on your behalf during treatment.
WATCH: What to do after a diagnosis?
Sometimes, sharing the news you have cancer, even among loved ones, is not always easy. You can seek a trained professional to center your support group around such instances. Mental health professionals can help fill this space because many are trained to help you navigate your cancer treatment.
Fischer’s Journey With Aggressive Breast Cancer
Fischer was diagnosed with stage 1 triple-positive breast cancer in December 2023. Her diagnosis came after a routine mammogram – which screens for breast cancer – returned “inconclusive results,” according to a statement the actress posted to Instagram.
After undergoing a biopsy, which tests breast tissue for signs of cancer, her diagnosis was confirmed on December 1.
Fischer faced triple-positive breast cancer, which is a subtype of breast cancer where the tumor cells express estrogen (ER), progesterone receptors (PR), and the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) protein on its surface.
Triple-positive breast cancer tends to be more responsive to hormone therapy, which essentially cuts off the estrogen, progesterone, and HER2, which act like fuel for the cancer to grow.
Jenna Fischer relaxing at the Four Seasons in St. Louis, Missouri while at home for the holidays, courtesy of Instagram, @msjennafischer
“[The cancer] is also highly responsive to treatment,” Fischer said.
“In January [2024], I had a lumpectomy to remove the tumor,” Fischer explained. A lumpectomy is a procedure that removes the tumor and some of the surrounding tissue.
“Luckily, my cancer was caught early, and it hadn’t spread into my lymph nodes or throughout the rest of my body; however, because of the aggressive nature of triple-positive breast cancer, it still required chemotherapy and radiation to be sure it didn’t return,” Fischer added.
She underwent 12 rounds of weekly chemotherapy in February 2024 and began three weeks of radiation in June 2024.
“I lost my hair during chemotherapy, but thanks to some great wigs and hats with hair, I have been able to wait until now to reveal all that has been going on for me,”
Hair loss is challenging for women and men alike, but it can be incredibly difficult for cancer patients. Losing your hair or seeing it thinning is often a side effect of some cancer treatments.
“For cancer patients, losing one’s hair can be unbelievably stressful. To start with, the dread of losing one’s hair can lead to some sleepless nights and feelings of anxiety,” Dr. Samantha Boardman, a New York-based psychiatrist and author, told SurvivorNet.
To cope, Dr. Boardman suggested reaching out to other survivors who have been through a similar situation.
Chemotherapy can cause hair loss. It usually begins about three to four weeks after starting chemotherapy and continues throughout treatment.
This happens because this treatment targets quickly dividing cells throughout the body, including cancer cells and hair cells.
Radiation is another treatment that can lead to hair loss if the hair is in the path of the tumor being treated. Radiation for a brain tumor, for example, may cause hair loss.
“If you do lose hair, it will regrow several weeks or months after treatment,” radiation oncologist Dr. James Taylor told SurvivorNet. “Fortunately, for most patients, hair loss is not a concern when having radiation therapy.”
Fortunately, hair loss during cancer treatment is not all bad news. Most people can expect regrowth four to six weeks after treatment. However, when your hair grows back, you may notice some changes in its color and texture.
If losing your hair is a concern for you before cancer treatment, know you have options like wigs, hats, and wraps, as Fischer used.
Jenna Fischer, photo by ‘Angela Kinsey’s husband Josh Snyder,’ as Fischer credits the image on her Instagram/@msjennafischer.
Although Fischer had Shaerer to help her through the ups and downs of her cancer journey, Fischer took to Instagram to encourage others battling the disease.
“I’m also sharing in hopes that it will be a source of support to any woman who is going through this right now,” Fischer said.
“Suddenly, everything in your life is geared around one thing: fighting cancer,” Fischer said.
Fischer revealed a year after her diagnosis that she had reached remission.
“After completing surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, I am now cancer-free,” Fischer said.
Clea Shearer’s Cancer Journey
Shearer’s cancer journey began early last year after discovering a lump.
“I found a lump myself (in) the last week of February,” Shearer posted to Instagram.
“I had been trying to make an appt with my OB(GYN) for several months, and even when I told them I found a lump, they couldn’t accommodate me. I had to request a mammogram from my general doctor, which led to an ultrasound and then an emergency triple biopsy,” she added.
The Home Edit co-founder Clea Shearer, courtesy of Instagram/@cleashearer.
She would later be diagnosed with breast cancer, but the popular star chose to share the intimate news with her millions of followers on social media. She was originally told her cancer was stage 1, but during the nine-hour surgery in April 2022, doctors found cancer in one of her lymph nodes, which elevated the cancer to stage 2.
Shearer was diagnosed with an “aggressive and fast-moving” breast cancer, but she thankfully “caught it early.”
She had two tumors, one measuring 2 centimeters in size and the other 3 centimeters.
WATCH: Treatment for early-stage breast cancers.
For stage 1 breast cancer, the first step is to remove the cancer. If a woman needs a lumpectomy, most often, she will have radiation after that.
Depending on the size and other features, such as family history, a patient may opt for more aggressive surgery. So even for an early stage 1 breast cancer, a woman may elect a mastectomy to remove her whole breast. Then, once the surgery is completed, a pathologist can examine the tissue under a microscope and determine the appropriate treatment for the woman after the tissue has been removed.
Shearer, a mother of two, underwent treatment which included a double mastectomy.
A double mastectomy is a procedure in which both breasts are removed to get rid of cancer. The procedure may also be performed as a preventative measure for women who are at a very high risk of developing breast cancer.
WATCH: Understanding a double mastectomy.
Shearer’s treatment also included both chemotherapy and radiation. During chemotherapy, patients receive cancer-killing drugs either orally or intravenously. Radiation therapy is also aimed at killing cancer cells, except it’s administered using high-energy X-ray beams aimed at cancer cells.
Shearer’s first round of chemotherapy occurred in May 2022.
In November 2022, Shearer revealed she was “cancer-free. “ However, the moment of celebration was limited in scope as the cancer survivor noted life after cancer was still filled with mixed emotions.
“There are a whole host of new side effects, new mental gymnastics that you have to do. I actually get my monthly infusions in the same chair that I received chemo,” she told Entertainment Online.
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