Busy Philipps John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images Busy Philipps is opening up about privately dealing with health issues this year that led her to undergo two surgeries after doctors discovered a brain tumor.
In a new cover story with People magazine, Philipps spoke for the first time about doctors finding a brain tumor in February. “I’m grateful that I’m alive,” she said. “The weirdest six months of my life.”
The Freaks and Geeks actress said she didn’t have any of the usual symptoms associated with a brain tumor but wanted to get a scan anyway. She underwent a Prenuvo scan, a full-body MRI that checks for more than 500 conditions, which led to the discovery of a grade 2 oligodendroglioma, a rare slow-growing tumor.
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Philipps almost backed out of her appointment, however, after her friend and former Dawson’s Creek co-star James Van Der Beek died at age 48 of colon cancer the day before her scheduled scan. But with the encouragement from her ex-husband, screenwriter Marc Silverstein, she went through with it.
The scan revealed a lesion on Philipps’ brain. Doctors ruled out glioblastoma, but urged her to undergo an MRI.
“This is a real tumor, and it’s inside your brain. And Busy, it’s got to come out,’” Philipps recalled the doctor telling her on a phone call. “I was hyperventilating and trying to breathe.”
On March 2, Philipps underwent a five-hour surgery, which removed a 2.6-centimeter mass from her brain. The actress’ doctor told People that 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,” the doctor explained.
Philipps said her recovery was quick, and then she was preparing to film the TV series Cupertino.
In April, she visited her dermatologist for Botox when the doctor noticed that something seemed off about her surgical incision. Philipps had developed a staph infection at the infection site, which led to a second surgery to remove infected tissue.
“The second surgery really threw me,” Philipps said. “I just felt like I was back to square one, and I was really, really upset.”
However, she “bounced right back,” according to her doctor, who described the actress as “indomitable.”
The experience led Philipps to reflect on the importance of trusting her instincts and getting checked out, even when she didn’t have obvious symptoms. She hopes others will do the same.
“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,” the actress said. “There’s nothing to be afraid of in having information. It’s only empowering.”
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