In a recent interview with People magazine, Harper said, "Sometimes I feel icky, but I'm feeling very good in New York... Maybe because I'm working or I'm talking about cancer in a positive way – I think that might have something to do with it." 

Harper, a lung cancer survivor, announced March 6, 2013, that she had been diagnosed with leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, a rare, terminal cancer. Given only three-to-six months to live, her diagnosis turned a corner, and neuro-oncologist Dr. Jeremy Rudnick said in September 2013 that the "Mary Tyler Moore" and "Rhoda" star "was pretty close to remission."

In April 2014, Harper said that although she is not "cancer-free," she remained optimistic and hopeful for the future. 

She recently told People, "I'm ready. I'm ready to go... Maybe that's the secret. That I'm absolutely – I don't want to, my God, I want to live to be 102.

"But I am not banking on anything, really, because we shouldn't. We don't know what's around the corner. I think you just take each day and get the best out of it and do what you can and have fun." Harper, a Tony nominee for Looped, said that her doctors couldn't be happier with what they see and that she goes for cancer screenings about every two months.