Valerie Harper Has Terminal Brain Cancer

Valerie Harper, best known for her role as Rhoda Morgenstern on 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' and its titular spin-off 'Rhoda,' has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. But she's determined to live her last months to the fullest.

On Jan. 15, Harper was told she had a leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, a rare condition in which cancer cells invade the fluid surrounding the brain. She was informed by doctors that she had a mere three months left to live.

The 73-year-old Harper, a non-smoker who beat lung cancer in 2009, told PEOPLE, "I don't think of dying. I think of being here now ... I’m well past my expiration date already."

The four-time Emmy winner and one-time Golden Globe recipient's courage and determination has received praise and well wishes from her colleagues in the entertainment community.