Last March, I wrote a piece about America’s sweetheart, Valerie Harper, who had been given a terminal cancer diagnosis. Things looked grim. But not Valerie! She went on an unprecedented whirlwind of interviews and appearances, talking to her beloved public about her medical condition. She shared everything! Her attitude was uber positive and she plunged into a yin and yang approach of work and cancer treatment. Now, she announces she is doing well! So well, in fact, that she continues on with the business of life and show. And it is wonderful! Congratulations Valerie, well done!

If you do your research, you will find people defy the odds everyday. If you are told to go lay down and die, and you listen, you probably will. But if you decide to fight against your disease or at least attack it with the same gusto as you are in the creation of your existence, you’ll at least have some quality of life.

The thing I admire in Valerie is how she approached this situation more like a journey than a destination. She has helped countless individuals change their thinking about, life, living and dying. We, especially at this critical time, need a better way to approach our own healthcare. We have to own it. Embrace it. And above all, advocate for our future.

If Rhoda had gotten cancer in the 70’s, she may have put up a good fight, to be sure, but would she have survived as well as Valerie? For that, we can be grateful for real life and advancements in medical care and in research tools like the internet. It’s true, there were natural formulas that were available then that people still go to today, but would Rhoda had found anything in time? It was literally a race against the clock.

Thankfully, Valerie seems to have found her formula and it’s working! We are thrilled, excited and so pleased that she is sharing herself with us along the way. Even though I do not get the stations that her recent programs have been on, I am sure I can find them online. I would rather be missing her programs than missing the actual woman herself.

She has arrived. Not just for the people who already loved her as Rhoda, but for the nation who applauds her for being Valerie! Yes, she’s become the perfect blend of Rhoda and Mary, and she’s gonna make it after all!