Valerie Harper Reveals: ‘I Was Supposed To Be Gone Before Last Easter’

It’s no secret that Valerie Harper has been battling with brain cancer for over a year. What wasn’t known was just how brave she has been since being told by doctors that she wouldn’t survive for very long.

In an interview with TODAY, Harper shared a few details about her situation, remaining positive and upbeat throughout:

“I was supposed to be gone before last Easter. But when you say ‘supposed to be,’ the doctors just give their best guesstimate. What I have is incurable and terminal, but guess what? Not today,” she said.

She spoke about the fact that she was also embracing alternative medicine as part of her treatment: “I’m doing very well. The treatment that my doctors at Cedars-Sinai have me on is working, and I’m doing acupuncture and herbal tea.”

Nevertheless, Valerie Harper is not letting the situation get the better of her career-wise either. She is about to feature in a two-episode guest spot on Signed, Sealed, Delivered, a new show from Touched By an Angel producer Martha Williamson.

Williamson said about the casting of Harper in the show: “I just called Val up and said, we’re going to start this show and we want you in for the very first two episodes. I couldn’t imagine anybody better.”

As we all know, Valerie Harper has an auspicious role in the world of sitcoms having starred in The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda. Harper also shared that she is still in touch with her old friend Moore:

“I talked to Mary three or four weeks ago, just to say ‘hi,’ (and) that I’m doing well. She had offered to have a Mass said in her home for me way back when I announced that I had this incurable situation, and that was so dear.”

Remaining ever positive about her predicament Valerie Harper told Glifford and Hoda Kotb: “Whenever I go, that’s when I’m supposed to go, like all of us. But live the moment.”