Hump Day Wednesday starts off with a serious case of The Sads: Actress Valerie Harper — best known for her work as wise-cracking neighbor Rhoda Morgenstern on television’s The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spinoff, Rhoda — is facing a devastating prognosis after being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.

Doctors say the star, who also headlined the sitcom Valerie, has less than three months to live.

Valerie is battling leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, a rare condition in which cancer cells spread into the fluid-filled membrane surrounding the brain. Harper, 73, received the diagnosis on Jan. 15. She’s spent the weeks since trying to maintain a positive attitude as she faces her fate with bravery.

She tells People:

“I don’t think of dying. I think of being here now.”

In 2011, Valerie’s friend and former co-star, Mary Tyler Moore, underwent surgery to remove a benign tumor from her brain.

Written by Castina on March 6th, 2013 | Tagged as: Popular Culture