Victoria Jackson Says She’s Not ‘Afraid’ of Her Inoperable Cancer: ‘I’ve Had a Fantastic Life’ (Exclusive)

The 'Saturday Night Live' alum recently learned her cancer was inoperable but tells PEOPLE she feels "blessed" to have led a "long life"

Victoria Jackson has made peace with her fate.

The Saturday Night Live alum confirmed in an Instagram post on Aug. 14 that her cancer had returned after initially being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. In the nearly 8-minute video, the actress said her cancer was inoperable, explaining that doctors “cannot operate and cut out the marble in my chest that is laying on my windpipe, and eventually would suffocate me to death.”

In an interview with PEOPLE, Jackson shares how doctors broke the news on her 65^th birthday on Aug. 2. She says she took it in stride.

“I was like, ‘Oh, okay. Well, that makes sense.’ How can you catch every molecule?,’” she explains, adding, “I'm not good in science or math, but I expected it could come back. I kind of forgot about it for nine years. I forgot I had cancer.”

Related: Stars Who Have Had Breast Cancer and Shared Their Stories

Jackson first learned she had breast cancer after performing stand-up at Nashville's Zanies Comedy Club in 2015. Noticing a cough that "wouldn't go away," she visited the hospital, underwent tests, was told she had stage 3C breast cancer, indicating the cancer had spread to 10 or more lymph nodes in the armpit, below the collarbone and near the breastbone. Her treatment at the time included chemotherapy.

"I didn't really have nausea. It wasn't so bad," she says, adding, "But it's not like a picnic."

Jackson says she isn't certain whether her cancer went into remission following that treatment, but she's taking her condition seriously once again. The actress, who is being treated at Vanderbilt’s Breast Center in Nashville, is more than a week into taking Palbociclib, a drug that specifically targets breast cancer by blocking proteins that cause cancer cells to grow and divide, according to Cancer Research UK. If Palbociclib isn’t effective, Jackson’s doctors may try radiation therapy, which can kill cancer cells and shrink tumors.

These treatments will allow the actress to spend more time with her husband Paul Wessell, her children Scarlet and Aubrey, and her grandchildren.

Related: Nicole Eggert Says Producing Baywatch Docuseries Has Given Her 'Purpose' amid Breast Cancer Diagnosis (Exclusive)

“My two daughters and my four grandchildren, they came over this weekend, and they were like, ‘Are you sad? Are you scared?’ And I thought, ‘Well, I'm not sad. … ‘Why am I not sad?’” she says. “Because I don't miss anything in their childhoods. I video every day of my daughter's lives. … And I don't miss one thing with my grandchildren: tap [dance] recitals, acting shows, ever.”

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It also helps that Jackson has accomplished virtually “every dream” she’s “ever had,” including having children and visiting Paris. She also fulfilled her long-held dream of appearing on TV, which she managed as a cast member on SNL for six seasons from 1986 to 1992, making her mark for memorable appearances on Weekend Update and impersonations of Roseanne Barr, Sally Struthers and Zsa Zsa Gabor.

So whenever her final moments come, Jackson says she'll leave the earth satisfied.

“Whether I die at 65, 70 or 75, what's the difference?” she wonders. “I'm so blessed to have had a long life and a wonderful life.”

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Read the original article on People.