Busy Philipps has posted photos from a hospital bed after disclosing that doctors discovered a rare brain tumour. The Hollywood actress and Dawson’s Creek star, 47, told People she decided to undergo a Prenuvo scan on February 12 — a full-body MRI designed to screen for more than 500 conditions — even though she had no symptoms and her primary care doctor had said her standard test results looked normal.
The scan detected a lesion on her brain. Weeks later, on March 2, Philipps had a grade 2 oligodendroglioma removed, a rare and slow-growing type of brain tumour. Sharing an update on Instagram on Thursday, she thanked fans for the love and support they had sent her. In the comments, one follower pointed out that many Americans cannot afford an elective scan of that kind, suggesting that proactive healthcare is often available only to people with significant financial means.
Philipps replied candidly, writing, “Oh, I’m acutely aware that even being able to afford to put this on my cc (credit card) was a privilege most people can’t afford. It’s insane how much is spent on healthcare, and so little of it is on preventative care like this scan.”
The actress added that many people close to her would not be able to pay $2,500 (£1,800) — the starting cost — for a whole-body scan. “Trust me, I get it,” she continued.
“But I also felt like I needed it, and I think that’s also why I wanted to talk about this – I followed my gut instinct, and it saved my life. But yes – healthcare is f**ked in this country and it’s deeply unfair that we have to fight to get care and that your income can determine your health outcome.”
Following the procedure, the Cougar Town star found herself readmitted to the hospital a month afterwards after developing a staph infection, which required a second surgical intervention to treat.
Busy shared a collection of photographs and videos from her difficult six months on Instagram on Thursday, reassuring followers that she was fine now.
“Just to reiterate, because the internet loves a clickbait, I AM ALREADY RECOVERED!” she declared. “You all have literally watched me recover since March 2, you just didn’t know it! I AM TOTALLY FINE! YAY MEDICINE!”