Hollywood star Busy Philipps, famed for roles in shows like Dawson’s Creek, Freaks and Geeks and the sitcom Cougar Town, has revealed she has undergone two life-saving procedures
Actress Busy Philipps has announced that she was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour in February – and has undergone two life-saving surgeries in order to remove it.
The 47-year-old is famed for her roles in Dawson’s Creek, Freaks and Geeks, and the sitcom Cougar Town. She’s also starred in the movies White Chicks (2004), He’s Just Not That Into You (2009) and The Gift (2015).
Busy was diagnosed with grade 2 oligodendroglioma, a rare and slow-growing tumour often found in people between the ages of 30 and 50. She told People magazine: “‘I’m grateful that I’m alive,” adding that it has been the “weirdest six months of my life.”
The star got the diagnosis after going for a full-body MRI scan, despite not having had any symptoms. She had to postpone her original appointment due to a blizzard in New York City.
The re-scheduled scan on February 12 took place just one day after the tragic death of Busy’s Dawson’s Creek co-star James Van Der Beek, who died of colon cancer. When she got her diagnosis, the doctor told her: “his is a real tumour, and it’s inside your brain. And Busy, it’s got to come out.'”
Busy’s first op took place on March 2, during which a 2.6-centimeter mass in her brain was removed and biopsied. The surgeon told her: “It is considered malignant, but it has the best prognosis of all of the malignant gliomas.”
“It’s sort of defined as a cancerous tumor based on the ability of the tumor to regrow over time, rather than it looking very malignant under the microscope.”
Luckily, Busy recovered well but just weeks later, it was discovered that she had an infection in the incision from the first procedure, meaning she needed another operation. The actress admitted: “The second surgery really threw me. I just felt like I was back to square one, and I was really, really upset.”
Busy’s surgeon told her that: “Fortunately, we got to it early, so it wasn’t a deep infection.” The star said she feels like “the luckiest girl in the world”.
However, she hoped her experience will warn others to go and get checked regularly. She added: “We are frequently told by doctors that there is nothing to worry about [when] you kind of know that there’s something to worry about. There’s nothing to be afraid of in having information. It’s only empowering.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
