Actress Valerie Harper revealed on Wednesday March 6 that she has terminal cancer.
Harper played Rhoda Morgenstern on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" as well as the spinoff "Rhoda." Her condition is called leptomeningeal carcinomatosis and occurs when cancer spreads to the membranes around the brain. Harper called former costar Moore the day before her public announcement. Moore, who herself had tumor surgery in 2011, claimed to be "absolutely devastated."
"Valerie has given so much joy, laughter and love to the world," Moore told People.
Harper apparently began feeling discomfort in January, including numbness in her jaw while she was rehearsing for the one-woman show "Looped." Three spinal taps uncovered the cancer diagnosis. Harper's form of cancer is comparatively rare, making up only two percent of all cancers.
After the announcement, there was a tremendous outpouring from Harper's friends.
"My longtime friendship w/ @ValerieHarper has been 1 of the gr8est gifts of my life," tweeted Cloris Leachman. "I'm here 4 any/ everything she may need one day at a time."
"Hi @ValerieHarper," tweeted Today Show's Hoda Kotb, "@KathieLGifford and I are sending prayers your way #warmwave."
Wendy Williams and Andy Cohen also sent well wishes, as did Nia Vardalos and SNL's Rachel Dratch, who claimed that Harper had been inspirational to them as an actress.
"Valerie Harper, please know you will always be every awkward girl's mentor. Love, Toula," Vardalos wrote.
"You were the ultimate comedy role model to me when I was growing up - the quintessential 'best friend!' Sending you love..." said Dratch.
Amongst all the well wishes, Harper appears to have expressed tremendous bravery through the announcement. Further details of her struggle with cancer and reflections on her life are revealed in a new issue of People.
"I don't think of dying," Harper told People. "I think of being here now."
