The Office US star Jenna Fischer, 51, shared her delight over her post-chemo hair growth journey on Monday after battling breast cancer.
Taking to Instagram, the actress who played Pam Beesly on the iconic show, posted a sweet selfie in her kitchen showing off her curly auburn locks.
The actress – who is now cancer-free – captioned the post: ‘I am borderline obsessed with my messy uncontrollably curly post-chemo bangs.
‘They are giving me 80s vibes all day and I’m here for it. Positive comments only because it’s what they deserve. They are the best.’
In October, Jenna revealed she had been diagnosed with Stage 1 Triple Positive breast cancer but it had been removed before it could spread to the rest of her body.
She added that the cancer had been ‘aggressive but treatable’.
The Office US star Jenna Fischer, 51 – known as Pam Beesly – shared her delight over her post-chemo hair growth journey on Instagram on Monday after battling breast cancer
Taking to Instagram, the star, who plays Pam Beesly in The Office (pictured, with John Krasinski’s Jim Halpert) posted a selfie in her kitchen showing off her curly auburn locks
At the time, she posted a candid photo of herself with shorter hair after undergoing chemotherapy treatment – and implored her fans to get regular mammograms.
She wrote: ‘October is breast cancer awareness month. I never thought I’d be making an announcement like this but here we are.
‘Last December, I was diagnosed with Stage 1 Triple Positive Breast Cancer. After completing surgery, chemotherapy and radiation I am now cancer free.
‘I wanted a photo of myself in my patchy pixie looking happy and healthy to go along with this news. A big thank you to Angela Kinsey’s husband Josh Snyder for taking this photo. It’s just one example of the care they showed me during this journey.’
The star said the cancer had first been detected during a routine mammogram – with Jenna joking in an Instagram video about her appointment.
Dense tissue was found in her left breast and she was ordered to have a further screening – before she was diagnosed with breast cancer on December 1, 2023.
She wrote in further slides: ‘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.
‘In February, I began 12 rounds of weekly chemotherapy, and in June I started three weeks of radiation. And while I continue to be treated with infusions of Herceptin and a daily dose of Tamoxifen, I’m happy to say I’m feeling great.’
In October, Jenna revealed she had been diagnosed with Stage 1 Triple Positive breast cancer but it had been removed before it could spread to the rest of her body
She said she hid her hair loss with some ‘really great wigs’ writing: ‘I’m making this announcement for a few reasons. One, I’m ready to ditch the wigs. Two, to implore you to get your annual mammograms.
‘You can also ask your doctor to calculate your Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Score and get any additional screenings required. I’m serious, call your doctor right now.
‘My tumor was so small it could not be felt on a physical exam. If I had waited six months longer, things could have been much worse. It could have spread.
‘Seeing women post photos of their mammogram appointments on Instagram needled me into setting my own (which I was late for). I’m so glad I did. Consider this your kick in the butt to get it done.’
‘As anyone who has had a cancer diagnosis knows, your life changes immediately.
‘It becomes all about doctor appointments, test results, treatments and recovering from treatments. Suddenly everything in your life is geared around one thing: fighting cancer.’
Jenna is married to Lee Kirk and the pair share a son Weston Lee, 13, and daughter, Harper Marie, 10.
She paid a sweet tribute to her husband in her final slide with a photo of the family celebrating the end of her treatment.
She wrote in further slides: ‘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’
Jenna shared a photo with husband Lee Kirk and their children as they celebrated the end of her treatment
‘Finally I need to mention my husband Lee who has been by my side through all of this. And I mean literally by my side, surgeries, chemotherapy, doctor appointments, endless googling, late night ugly cries.
‘He was there for it all. I knew he was a catch when I married him. I was right. After my final chemo and radiation treatments Lee asked me if there was anything I wanted to celebrate.
‘I said I simply wanted to ring a bell with the kids in our backyard with everyone throwing confetti. So we did it.
‘I’m happy to say that I was recently re-screened and the treatments worked. I am cancer free.
‘I will continue to be treated and monitored to help me stay that way.
‘Don’t skip your mammogram. Take it from Pam and her Pams. Michael was right. Get ’em checked ladies.’
She is most famous for her role as Pam in The Office from 2005 to 2013, with John Krasinski playing her love interest Jim Halpert. Their characters got married on the NBC show and garnered a huge fandom.
A week later, Jenna revealed how she relied on celebrity pal Christina Applegate following her breast cancer diagnosis.
A week later, Jenna revealed how she relied on celebrity pal Christina Applegate following her breast cancer diagnosis
The Office star also said that Christina helped put her in touch with various other breast cancer survivors
While speaking to the Today Show’s Hoda Kotb, the actress recalled how 52-year-old Christina, who was herself diagnosed with MS in 2021, reacted to the news that her co-star had the terrible disease.
During the interview, Jenna also described the emotional journey that led to her discovering she would have to undergo chemotherapy and the various ways her friend helped her by being ‘salty’.
Jenna admitted that Christina was one of the first people she told about the situation.
She told the outlet: ‘I called her, and she answered the phone, and she said, “Which one is it?” And I said, “It’s breast cancer.” And she said, “I effing knew it.” She’s salty. Salty language that one. I love her for it.’
The Office star also said that Christina helped put her in touch with various other breast cancer survivors.
Recalling how she got diagnosed, Jenna revealed that it all started when she went for her annual mammogram in October 2023.
She told Hoda: ‘Three weeks later, they said, “Oh, your mammogram was fine. There were a few spots that were difficult to see.”
‘”You have very dense tissue. We would recommend that you do another mammogram and maybe follow up with a breast ultrasound.”‘
Jenna described the emotional journey that led to her discovering she would have to undergo chemotherapy and the various ways Christina (pictued, in 2011) helped her by being ‘salty’
At the time, Jenna admitted that she felt ‘no level of concern’.
Following her ultrasound, doctors advised the Hollywood A-lister to undergo a biopsy as they shared that there was a ’10 per cent chance it’s cancerous.’
She added: ‘I checked the portal on the hike, and that’s when I saw words like invasive, ductal, carcinoma, malignant. And I was like, “Those words sound like cancer words.”‘
Following the portal message, Jenna phoned her husband, Lee, and told him the news, adding that she still wasn’t sure it was cancer.
She revealed that she was in ‘disbelief’ before sharing how she broke the devastating news to her kids.
Jenna revealed that she and Lee sat down and told their children, Weston Lee, 13, and Harper Marie, 10, the news in a very ‘honest’ conversation.
The actress admitted that her treatment, which saw her undergoing chemotherapy, a lumpectomy and radiation, helped her be more grateful for the ‘annoying’ things in life like ‘traffic’.
Jenna credited the success of her treatment to early diagnosis as she urged other women to book their appointments.
She told the outlet: ‘If I had waited six more months, it could have been much worse. It could have spread. It was a very aggressive form of cancer.
‘I’m really lucky that my cancer had not spread into my lymph nodes. It hadn’t spread anywhere else in my body.
‘My tumor was still very small, too small to feel. That’s the thing. A self-exam would not have (caught the cancer). It really was that routine mammogram that started all of this. And I’m so grateful that I went to that appointment.’
