'Mary Tyler Moore Show' star Valerie Harper's family sets up fundraising page for her cancer battle

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Valerie Harper's cancer battle: 3 months became 5 years

Fox411: Valerie Harper opens up about her cancer diagnosis and her new film 'My Mom and the Girl,' which has been has been Oscar qualified in the Short Film category.

“Mary Tyler Moore” actress Valerie Harper’s family set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for the rising cost of her battle with cancer.

The 79-year-old actress, who beat lung cancer in 2009, was diagnosed with a form of brain cancer called leptomeningeal carcinomatosis in 2013. The disease is incurable and she was told at the time she would only have months to live. However, thanks to the medical care she’s been given, the star is still fighting. Unfortunately, the fight comes at a great financial cost.

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According to People, Harper’s husband, Tony Cacciotti, and her longtime friend Deanna created the page in order to help fund her medical costs that aren’t covered by insurance.

Mary Tyler Moore and Valerie Harper on the set of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.  (Getty Images)

“Valerie has been grateful over the years for the medical breakthroughs along this difficult journey but insurance doesn't cover everything. There are unrelenting medical costs on a continuous basis,” the GoFundMe page reads. “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.  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.”

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Harper is best known for playing Rhoda Morgenstern on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” in the 1970s. Her fan-beloved character earned her own spinoff, “Rhoda” from 1974 to 1978. She would later star in the 1980s sitcom “Valerie” (later titled “Valerie’s Family” and “The Hogan Family”). In addition, she appeared in more than a dozen feature films and won four Emmy Awards.

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“I’ve had a wonderful career,” she previously told Fox News in 2017. “I got to be an actress. I was a dancer. And then I grew into this area of acting and that was just so wonderful.”