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Good news for Valerie Harper: The cancer-stricken star told Meredith Vieira on the "Today" show Thursday morning that she was close to remission.
The 74-year-old former "Mary Tyler Moore" actress -- who devastated fans when she revealed she had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, in March -- appears to have defied the odds when it comes to beating her cancer.
"I'd say that we're getting pretty close to a remission. It defies the odds," Harper's doctor, neuro-oncologist Dr. Jeremy Rudnick, said on the "Today" show.
But Dr. Rudnick made clear that Harper was not "cured" of the disease, and that she was still terminal. "It's not a matter of if (the cancer becomes resistant to therapy)," he said. "It's a matter of when."
In March, Harper told People magazine that she was optimistic about life moving forward. "I don't think of dying. I think of being here now," she said.
You can follow just how Harper confronted her cancer diagnosis with the hour-long documentary on Sept. 10 on NBC. And if reports are true, you'll also be able to see Harper on a more regular basis on the small screen: She reportedly has joined the cast of "Dancing with the Stars" for Season 17.
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