Valerie Harper on Brain Cancer: "I'm Not Dying Until I Do"

Valerie Harper wants fans to know that she's feeling good, following her announcement last week that she has terminal brain cancer.

The star of Rhoda on The Mary Tyler Moore Show sitcom has been receiving constant feedback via phone, text, and emails with supporters showering her with good wishes.

While she appreciates the concerns of her peers, she worries about being seen as terminally handicapped and bed-ridden because of her condition.

"I can't say it's terminal. I'm saying it's incurable so far, but we're all terminal. No one is getting out of this alive," she said on USA Today. "The key is, don't go to the funeral until the day of the funeral."

She wants to leave the option open that the chemotherapy she is currently undergoing may reverse the course of events.

"I'm trying to get ready to say goodbye, and also ready to say hello if we have spontaneous remission," she said.

Harper said that when people hear the words "terminal" and "incurable", they automatically assume the affected individual has no chance to live.

"I'm not dying until I do," she said. "I have an intention to live each ... moment fully."