Grey’s Anatomy star Kate Walsh has shared an important message after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.
The 57-year-old actress recently opened up about having to advocate for herself following her brain tumour diagnosis in 2015 in a recent appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show.
Explaining the initial warning signs, Walsh said she first felt 'really tired' and that 'the right side of my body [was] dipping', recalling that people said she must be feeling just slightly 'off'.
However, Walsh, who played Dr. Addison Montgomery on the hit ABC medical drama, never could have imagined the diagnosis she received back in 2015.
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The actress first spoke about her brain tumour, which was thankfully benign, in 2017 with Cosmopolitan.
Reflecting on that time in her life, she said: "I really pushed to see a neurologist. I just had an instinct."
Explaining her seriously important advice for others, Walsh revealed she had to 'really advocate' for an MRI as medical staff 'don't hand out MRIs so easily'.
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"But I got an MRI and, thank God I did, because it turned out I had a very sizeable brain tumour in my left frontal lobe," she continued, recalling the feeling of 'leaving' her own body after hearing the shocking news.
She carried on: "My assistant had driven me there, and I had to go get him so that he could take notes because I was gone. It was never anything I would have imagined."
It was just three days after her scan that the Grey's Anatomy actress had surgery to remove the growth, noting that she has been 'really healthy' following her treatment.
One of the biggest lessons she learnt after battling with the illness, was the importance of pushing for outcomes when you feel something isn't right.
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The star said: "I know how important it is to advocate for one's own health."
Acknowledging that chatting to your doctor about your health concerns can sometimes be intimidating, Walsh told USA Today: "I know for me, even though I did play doctor on TV for the better part of a decade, I still get very nervous when I go to doctors."
Noting that 'advocating and having the discussions can be intimidating', Walsh explained that she tends to bring along a pal with her to doctor's appointments to take notes and ask the important questions she forgets.
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According to the outlet, she thinks of her life as 'before tumour and after tumour'.
Walsh added that, before she knew her tumour was thankfully benign, she thought, 'if this isn't [deadly], then I'm going to, you know, work less, play more, spend more time with my loved ones and and I kept kept those promises. So I've got a pretty balanced and beautiful lifestyle, very fortunate'.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.
Topics: Grey's Anatomy, Celebrity, Health, Cancer, Advice
Rhiannon Ingle