Kate Walsh, best known for playing Olivia Baker in 13 Reasons Why and Dr. Addison Montgomery in Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice, revealed in an interview with Cosmopolitan that she was diagnosed and had surgery to remove a "major brain tumor.”
"The words 'brain tumor' were not in my spirit at the time. I went into MRI, and you know it's serious when they do not even wait; they're like 'hey, the radiologist wants to see you... Well, it looks like you have a very large brain tumor' - and I just left my body."
In January of 2015, after Bad Judge of NBC, Walsh remembers feeling exhausted, but thought that it was consequence of the menopause. "The exhaustion reached the point where I could drink five cups of coffee and still did not feel awake or clear. Then around April, I began to have more cognitive difficulties. It felt like silence, but also not only was I unable to find words, I lost my ability to think, I could not finish the sentences, and that was when I became very alarmed."
Soon the symptoms went from cognitive to physical, her instructor told him that his "right side was submerging." Therefore, Walsh went to see a neurologist to assess what was happening to his body. "I received an MRI, and thank God I did, because it turned out that I had a very large brain tumor in my left frontal lobe. Three days later, I was in surgery for excision."
"A Screaming Small Cat"
"It was more than five centimeters, like a little lemon in my head, causing a little damage: there was a lot of swelling, and I had started to have shooting pains in my head. The whole situation was so overwhelming, and I was so relieved to know that there was something wrong, that it was not just my imagination and my instincts were correct," Walsh explained.
Although she played a doctor on television, the actor remembers feeling terrified on the day of surgery. "You might think that after embodying Dr. Addison (Montgomery in Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice) and spending more time in a hospital than at home, I would feel somehow more comfortable, but I was a little cat scary. In the hospital, I felt I could be six as well."
After the intervention, Walsh focused on his recovery, nine months later returning to work. "In my business, it is not unusual to work 17 hours a day, so it can be very difficult, but now I know I absolutely need seven or eight hours of sleep. As basic as it seems, it was a big part of my recovery," Walsh explained.
A Different Perspective
He also explained that he now has a different perspective on life. "I want to spend more time with my family and friends. I want to work on projects that I love, with people that I love. I want to travel, be in the service, and do all kinds of things you hear, but really."
While all that happened in 2015, the American actor decided that it was the right time to counter her experience. This could serve those who do not know the importance of the checks. "I knew that when I talked about it, I wanted to be useful in some way. It was a great opportunity to collaborate with Cigna. It was a perfect opportunity to emphasize the importance of advocating for your own health. Particularly women, this is a tumor that is twice as common in women as with men."
"The words 'brain tumor' were not in my spirit at the time. I went into MRI, and you know it's serious when they do not even wait; they're like 'hey, the radiologist wants to see you... Well, it looks like you have a very large brain tumor' - and I just left my body."
In January of 2015, after Bad Judge of NBC, Walsh remembers feeling exhausted, but thought that it was consequence of the menopause. "The exhaustion reached the point where I could drink five cups of coffee and still did not feel awake or clear. Then around April, I began to have more cognitive difficulties. It felt like silence, but also not only was I unable to find words, I lost my ability to think, I could not finish the sentences, and that was when I became very alarmed."
Soon the symptoms went from cognitive to physical, her instructor told him that his "right side was submerging." Therefore, Walsh went to see a neurologist to assess what was happening to his body. "I received an MRI, and thank God I did, because it turned out that I had a very large brain tumor in my left frontal lobe. Three days later, I was in surgery for excision."
"A Screaming Small Cat"
"It was more than five centimeters, like a little lemon in my head, causing a little damage: there was a lot of swelling, and I had started to have shooting pains in my head. The whole situation was so overwhelming, and I was so relieved to know that there was something wrong, that it was not just my imagination and my instincts were correct," Walsh explained.
Although she played a doctor on television, the actor remembers feeling terrified on the day of surgery. "You might think that after embodying Dr. Addison (Montgomery in Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice) and spending more time in a hospital than at home, I would feel somehow more comfortable, but I was a little cat scary. In the hospital, I felt I could be six as well."
After the intervention, Walsh focused on his recovery, nine months later returning to work. "In my business, it is not unusual to work 17 hours a day, so it can be very difficult, but now I know I absolutely need seven or eight hours of sleep. As basic as it seems, it was a big part of my recovery," Walsh explained.
A Different Perspective
He also explained that he now has a different perspective on life. "I want to spend more time with my family and friends. I want to work on projects that I love, with people that I love. I want to travel, be in the service, and do all kinds of things you hear, but really."
While all that happened in 2015, the American actor decided that it was the right time to counter her experience. This could serve those who do not know the importance of the checks. "I knew that when I talked about it, I wanted to be useful in some way. It was a great opportunity to collaborate with Cigna. It was a perfect opportunity to emphasize the importance of advocating for your own health. Particularly women, this is a tumor that is twice as common in women as with men."