GoFundMe Started for MARY TYLER MOORE Star Valerie Harper's Cancer Treatment

A GoFundMe page has been started for "Mary Tyler Moore" star Valerie Harper, who has been fighting lung cancer that began in 2009 and became brain cancer in 2013, according to ShowBiz411. Harper's husband, Tony Cacciotti, started the page because the cost of home healthcare and prescriptions has exceeded anything insurance and savings can handle.

A friend of hers writes on GoFundMe: "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. 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. "

After the 2013 diagnosis, Valerie continued to work, appearing in episodes of "The Simpsons". She also acted in a highly praised short film, "My Mom and the Girl," co-produced by her husband.

The GoFundMe page was put up quietly. It was sent around to the Screen Actors Guild, where Valerie has been active for years.

Harper is best known to audiences for her role as the beloved Rhoda Morgenstern on the classic TV sitcom "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and its subsequent spin-off, "Rhoda." The popularity of the show was enormous, and the episode of Rhoda's wedding set ratings records with 52 million viewers.

For playing Rhoda, Harper won a total of four Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe. Her extensive television career includes the self titled sitcom, "Valerie," and more recently guest roles on such hit shows as "Desperate Housewives," "Sex and the City," "That '70s Show," "Touched by an Angel" and "Hot in Cleveland." Notable film credits include "Blame It on Rio," "Freebie and the Bean," "Chapter Two" and "The Last Married Couple in America."

In 2010 Harper was seen on Broadway in "Looped" and received a Tony Award nomination for her portrayal of legendary actress Tallulah Bankhead. In January 2013, Harper published her memoir, I Rhoda.

Read the original article on ShowBiz411.