Charlotte Rae In Cancer Crisis

Charlotte Rae is suffering from spinal cancer, yet she vows to fight the disease in her signature spunky style!

“I’m still above ground!” declared the beloved 91-year-old star, best known for playing "Edna Garrett" on small screen comedies “Diff’rent Strokes” and “The Facts of Life.” “And I’m trying to stay that way as long as I can!” Sadly, her prognosis is poor. The outlook for meta-static cancer to the spinal cord is typically dismal, meaning Charlotte may pass away in mere months — but not if she can help it!

After all, in the last decade, Charlotte beat cancer twice! Initially diagnosed with pancreatic cancer — the illness her mother, elder sister Beverly and an uncle all succumbed to — Charlotte learned she had it in 2009 after appearing in her native Milwaukee. “They asked me to come to my hometown and talk about the importance of checkups,” she explained. “So, when I came to speak, they said, ‘We’ll give you a test.’” The star agreed, and an endoscopic ultrasound revealed benign cysts.

“I was told to get a follow-up in six months,” Charlotte recalled. “I didn’t, like a fool!” Instead, she let a year go by, and by then, “It was full-blown cancer,” she revealed. Thank heavens, she caught it in time. “I was placed on a six-month round of chemotherapy,” said Charlotte, who just released a new memoir, “The Facts of My Life,” co-written with writer son Larry Strauss. “I lost all my hair but, after that, I was cancer free!” So Charlotte did what she always does: She went back to work!

Over the next few years, she had guest starring spots on “Pretty Little Liars” and “Girl Meets World” as well as a role in “Ricki and the Flash” with Meryl Streep, among other things. Yet a routine doctor’s appointment in 2016 led to more bad news! “My dermatologist noticed a difference in one side of my face,” said the star. “He found cancer in my salivary glands!”

Radiation helped Charlotte to beat the disease, again! Then, just when she thought she was out of the woods, she began having back pain — and a CAT scan found her current cancer, which is inoperable. Doctors did recommend low-dosage chemo, however, and Charlotte decided to go for it!

“They are trying to halt the spread of the cancer,” explained the inspiring star, who wants to go on, despite a life often struck by tragedy. Her oldest son, Andrew, who was autistic and developmentally disabled, struggled until his untimely death in his 40s. And after 25 years of marriage, Charlotte also discovered that her husband, composer John Strauss, was gay!

Not surprisingly, Charlotte used to hit the bottle. “Alcohol became my drug of choice so I could sleep,” she confessed.“I was doing "Sesame Street" as "Molly the Mail Lady" and I had to get to sleep so I could get up for the kids!” Charlotte attended her first AA meeting in 1972. “We all held hands and said the Lord’s Prayer. And I wept!” she admitted, adding that she’s been sober ever since.

On her 91st birthday, all the “girls” from “The Facts of Life” — Lisa Welchel, Kim Fields, Mindy Cohn and Nancy McKeon — called.“I was so touched,” Charlotte said, admitting that Nancy, whom she calls, “a superb actress and a superb human being,” was always her favorite. Now Charlotte is telling fans, “Be of good cheer and realize there’s hope. I’m leaving things up to God!”