‘Dawson’s Creek’ Alum Shares Shocking Diagnosis
“Dawson’s Creek” star Busy Philipps revealed she underwent two brain surgeries after being diagnosed with a rare malignant brain tumor.
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In a shocking interview published Aug. 26, the actress told People she discovered her condition by chance after learning about Prenuvo scans on social media. She said she had no symptoms suggesting anything was wrong, but felt drawn to the idea of undergoing a preventive scan.
“I didn’t know why I wanted to get this scan except for the fact that I just did,” Philipps said.
In February, her results revealed a tumor that required surgery.
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“I’m grateful that I’m alive,” Philipps said, calling the experience “the weirdest six months of my life.”
She explained that when she first expressed interest in undergoing testing, her family doctor told her there was “no need” because bloodwork from her recent physical showed no cause for concern.
After speaking with her cousin’s husband, Dr. Justin Donlan, she decided to go through with it.
The star told People that the Prenuvo scan led to the discovery of a grade 2 oligodendroglioma, a rare slow-growing tumor.
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“This is a real tumor, and it’s inside your brain. And Busy, it’s got to come out,” Philipps recalled Donlan saying to her over the phone.
At the time of her diagnosis, Philipps was set to star in “Cupertino,” which was scheduled to begin filming six weeks later. The decision was made to operate the following week, which allowed her to move forward with filming, according to People.
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The actress underwent roughly five hours of surgery March 2, and the 2.6-centimeter mass was removed from her brain.
She had more than 40 surgical staples in her head, but said, “I wasn’t in pain at all.”
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The actress told the magazine that things seemed to be on an upswing when she experienced a setback. She said her Botox dermatologist raised concerns about the incision site from the surgery.
“She’s like, ‘That doesn’t look right. I’m not going to touch it … Can I take a picture of it and will you send it to your surgeons right now?’ … And I did and they immediately were like, ‘That doesn’t look good,’” Philipps told People.
She had contracted a staphylococcus infection in her incision. The actress underwent debridement surgery to clear the infection and remove one of the small titanium tacks put in her skull during the first surgery. (RELATED: Dolly Parton’s Final Goodbye: Cause Of Death, Intimate Funeral Details Revealed)
“The second surgery really threw me. I just felt like I was back to square one, and I was really, really upset,” Philipps said.
Philipps, who starred in “Cougar Town,” “Dawson’s Creek,” and “ER,” went on to star in “Cupertino” after receiving medical care.
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