Valerie Harper’s Family Turns To Crowdfunding To Pay For Her Cancer Treatments
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A crowdfunding page has been started to help TV legend Valerie Harper with the costs of her cancer treatments.
Harper, 79, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009. Then in 2013, doctors discovered she’d developed a rare brain cancer.
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Harper’s husband, Tony Cacciotti, started a GoFundMe campaign titled The Valerie Harper Cancer Support Fund on July 8.
“Valerie is currently taking a multitude of medications and chemotherapy drugs as well as going through extreme physical and painful challenges now with around the clock, 24/7 care immediately needed, which is not covered by insurance,” the page says. “This is just part of the daily cost that is without a doubt a financial burden that could never be met alone. This GoFundMe initiative from Tony, is to ensure she receives the best care possible.”
When contacted by Deadline tonight, a rep confirmed that the page is real and said Cacciotti would offer additional comments at a later date. Asked if Harper’s friends in the acting community were aware of the situation, the rep said the crowdfunding page had been shared with “a small group” of SAG members.
Harper, a veteran TV and stage actress is best known for playing Rhoda Morgenstern in the 1970s on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and her own spinoff Rhoda. She also starred in the 1980s sitcom Valerie and Valerie’s Family later retitled The Hogan Family after Harper exited the show. More recently, she had recurring roles on The Office and The Simpsons. Her film credits include Freebie and the Bean (1974) and Chapter Two (1979).
Over the years, she won multiple Emmy Awards for her work on Rhoda and The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and was nominated for a Tony in 2010 for her role as Tallulah Bankhead in Looped
Harper ran for SAG president in 2001, but lost to Melissa Gilbert before the union merged with AFTRA.
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