Dawson's Creek star Busy Philipps has shared a series of candid hospital photos after revealing she underwent two operations to treat a rare brain tumour. The 47-year-old actress stunned fans this week when she disclosed that doctors discovered the tumour earlier this year, despite her having experienced no symptoms beforehand.
Photos from intensive care
Busy has now offered a glimpse at what she went through during her treatment and recovery, including pictures from intensive care showing her with her head heavily bandaged following surgery. Other images reveal the swelling she experienced afterwards, while one particularly graphic photograph shows the wound on her head following an operation.
However, the Freaks and Geeks and Dawson's Creek star was keen to reassure concerned fans that the pictures were taken months ago and she has since recovered.
Reassurance to fans
Sharing the images on Instagram, Busy wrote: "Everyone (mostly) has been so overwhelmingly kind in the past 24 hours so thank you so much for all your well wishes and love and prayers and support."
"But just to reiterate, because the internet loves a clickbait, I AM ALREADY RECOVERED! You all have literally watched me recover since March 2, you just didn’t know it! I AM TOTALLY FINE! YAY MEDICINE!"
Busy also posted a video she filmed in March on the eve of her surgery, in which she spoke about feeling “blessed” to have access to high-quality medical care. Her collection of photographs charts different stages of her recovery, including her time in intensive care and her return to work.
Support and diagnosis
One shows Busy icing her swollen forehead while filming her TV series Cupertino, while another sees Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness colouring her hair. Paying tribute to those who supported her through the ordeal, she added: “Thank you to all of my doctors and nurses. Thank you to my kids and my friends and family and my new tv family at @cupertinocbs for helping to get me through these last 6 months as i recovered and tried to get back to feeling like myself which i really finally do!”
Busy first revealed her diagnosis in an interview with People, explaining that the tumour was discovered after she decided to undergo a Prenuvo scan, a preventative full-body MRI. She said she hadn't been experiencing symptoms and couldn't fully explain what had prompted her to book the scan.
“I didn’t know why I wanted to get this scan except for the fact that I just did,” she said. The scan, which took place in February, raised concerns after a lesion was spotted on her brain. Her doctor advised her to undergo a further MRI as soon as possible so it could be investigated more closely.
Busy recalled subsequently receiving the frightening news over the phone that doctors believed they were dealing with a tumour. She remembered being told: "This is a real tumor, and it’s inside your brain. And Busy, it’s got to come out." Describing her immediate reaction, she said: “I was hyperventilating and trying to breathe.”
Recovery and difficult period
The tumour was later identified as a grade 2 oligodendroglioma, a rare type of slow-growing brain tumour. Busy ultimately underwent two operations as part of her treatment, keeping the diagnosis and surgeries private while she recovered over the following months.
Her health scare came during an already difficult period for the actress. Around the same time, she was grieving the death of her longtime friend and former Dawson's Creek co-star James Van Der Beek, who died from colon cancer aged 48.
