Valerie Harper’s Cancer Close To Remission, Doctor Says

Great news! The iconic actress, who was diagnosed with an incurable form of brain cancer in March, is still going strong, and on Aug. 29 her doctor announced that the cancer is actually close to remission.

Valerie Harper, 74, best known for playing Rhoda on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, will not give up in her fight against an incurable brain cancer. She has survived far longer than her initial prognosis
from March 2013, and on Aug. 29 it was revealed that she may have beaten the disease back for now!

Valerie Harper’s Brain Cancer Close To Remission

New tests on Valerie’s cancer — leptomeningeal carcinometosis, a disease that strikes the membranes surrounding the brain — showed that it is miraculously close to remission, according to NBC News.

“I’d say were getting pretty close to remission,” Valerie’s physician, neuro-oncologist Dr. Jeremy Rudnick said. “It defies the odds.”

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Harper has been fighting her disease by using traditional chemotherapy as well as acupuncture and Chinese tea, a strategy that has been beyond successful so far. However, despite the good news, Valerie’s doctor still wants to temper expectations, explaining that the cancer could become resistant to the treatment: “It’s not a matter of if [the cancer becomes resistant], it’s a matter of when,” Dr. Rudnick states.

That looming dread is not enough to stop Valerie from celebrating her good fortune and the fact that she’s lasted much longer than expected already. “We’re looking at Christmas!,” the actress joyfully said.

Valerie Harper: ‘I Don’t Think Of Dying’

Valerie received the diagnosis that she was suffering from terminal brain cancer on Jan. 15, and she revealed the diagnosis to the world on Mar. 5. “I don’t think of dying,” she said at the time. That attitude and determination to survive has clearly served her well.

Valerie’s battle with cancer will be revealed in detail as part of an NBC special set to air on Sept. 19. We couldn’t be happier for her, and wish her the best as she continues her battle against cancer.