Valerie Harper: “While you’re living, live”
Actress Valerie Harper, star of the 1970s television comedy “Rhoda,” says she is determined to “live each day’s moments fully” despite a brain cancer diagnosis that doctors told her could bring death in a matter of days or in several years.
Harper, 73, she learned in mid-January that she was suffering from leptomeningeal carcinomatosis — cancer in the membrane of her brain — and was given as little as three months to live.
A lot of folks are calling (asking), ‘Can I come by the house?’ ‘Are you in a wheelchair?’, because they hear it as a death sentence, which it may be,” Harper But I’m not dying until I do. I promise I won’t…I have an intention to live each day’s moments, fully.
Harper who has done a series of interviews since revealing her illness was asked why she has chosen to do the interviews?
I just thought that while I’m still able — because it is brain — to speak and show you that I’m cooking my husband’s dinner, I’m walking on the bluff at Santa Monica and more than anything I’m living in the moment…I really want …all of us, to be less afraid of death, and know that it’s a passage, but that — don’t go to the funeral before the day of the funeral. While you’re living, live.
Marie, thanks for posting this, I forgot she was on TV today. Such a strong lady to face her fear. I love her line, “I really want… all of us to be less afraid of death, and know that it’s a passage… Don’t go to the funeral before the funeral.” Words that inspire. 😉
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I just read an article about her and was wondering if a blog post would form in my mind. I didn’t see her on tv though or read these quotes, so I’m glad you posted. She is providing such a great reminder to live –really live– as much as we can despite a cancer diagnosis.
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Thanks for posting this, Marie. I think it’s such an important message – rather than simply ‘surviving’, to “live each day’s moments, fully”.
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I am so glad you posted this Marie. Valerie Harper is so amazing approaching her diagnosis head on. Mets for some other cancers are met with shorter time lines and that can be very difficult. That said any mets diagnosis is hard but I am so impressed with her grace and dignity and how much she wants to live her life to the fullest.
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Very powerful words. “Don’t got to the funeral before the funeral.” I think this is a reminder we might need every day, though perhaps in lighter tones like the remainder of her quote, “While you’re living, live.” ~Catherine
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The weekend I was diagnosed in April 1990, my husband kept crying and I kept telling him, “I’m not dead. I’m here. We don’t know what will happen.” Now it’s 23 years later and he could have saved his tears, except: We didn’t know.
I do admire Valerie Harper greatly for even getting out of bed with such a dire dx. But I rather doubt she would be on TV if she had a less wonderful attitude. Media does not like “poor me.”
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i just saw ms. harper on cnn, the piers morgan show, this evening. i felt the things she had to say were honest and inspiring and powerful. i also got the impression that she is a person who has always lived with a tremendous sense of gratitude and joy. i’m looking forward to reading her book.
thanks for sharing the quotes you cited in your post, marie. they are good, LIFE affirming reminders as well as realistic thoughts expressed about death and dying.
love, XOXO,
karen, TC
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This is very inspiring. I’m not about to give up, either. Thank you for bringing this show to everyone’s attention. xox
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Thanks for sharing this, Marie. I have always been a huge Valerie Harper fan. I’m so impressed with her realistic and enjoy-life attitude.
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Good afternoon:
I am glad for expressing my opinions here…
I discovered that this great artist is sick_awful!
I remember her in good productions (films/TV series), my mother used to say that she was MODEL and was in an American magazine (GOOD HOUSE KEEPING?).
This is one of the worst diseases that exist: and there was an evolution about it (prevention/medications)…
Unfortunately, a person from my family faced it_and passed away in the beginning of the month (lung cancer): she had good health; started the treatment – but had to quite_had CLOTS after starting it… and it was in other parts of the body!
The conclusion is that WE ARE VULNERABLE TO BE SICK_even we take care of health/don´t have bad habits.
Now I feel better for sharing this not good experience_and hope Mrs. Harper lasts for a long time.
Thank you,
Rodrigo (Brazil)
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