If you haven’t picked up your local Cosmopolitan Magazine, run (don’t walk) to Cosmopolitan.com to read the profile about Kate Walsh (actress, seen in Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice!!) . This profile reveals that Walsh was diagnosed with a brain tumor two years ago.
In an exclusive new interview, The Grey’s Anatomy star opens up about having the benign meningioma removed in 2015, her recovery, and what she’s learned.
On the gradual progression of her symptoms:
“I had been working insane hours, maybe 80 hours a week, and also working out really hard, so I wasn’t surprised. I figured okay, I’ll change up my workout routine, I’ll go back to mellow stuff like hiking. … My pilates instructor said ‘hey, your right side is dipping’, and it didn’t feel like I was off, but I looked down and could see it. Then when I was driving, I started swerving into the right lane. The exhaustion got to the point where I could drink five cups of coffee, and still not feel awake or clear. And then around April, I started having more cognitive difficulties. It felt like aphasia, but it wasn’t just not being able to find words; I would lose my train of thought, I wasn’t able to finish sentences, and that was when I got really alarmed.”
On the moment she was told her diagnosis:
“The words “brain tumor” were never in my zeitgeist. I went in for the MRI, and you know it’s serious when they don’t even wait, they’re like ‘hey, the radiologist wants to see you’. And she starts to say ‘well, it looks like you have a very sizable brain tumor’, and I just left my body. My assistant had driven me there, and I had to go get her so that she could take notes, because I was gone. It was never anything I would have imagined.”
On going back to work:
“I took about nine months off, and when I came back, I hit it hard. I shot a film called Self that’s just going to Toronto now, I shot Girls Trip, I shot 13 Reasons Why, I did a play in New York last year, so it was great, once I was back I was really back. Those cliché, existential things do happen when you have a brain tumor, like ‘how do I really want to spend my time?’ I want to be with my friends and family and work on projects that are hugely important to be, and fun, and that make a cultural contribution. But my health comes first, and I’ve had to change my lifestyle. In my business, it’s not unusual to be working 17 hour days, so it can be really challenging, but now I know I absolutely need seven or eight hours of sleep. As basic as that sounds, it was a huge part of my recovery.”
On how her TV doctor experience informed her real-life attitude to healthcare:
“It was the total opposite! You’d think that after playing Dr. Addison for the better part of a decade, where I spent more time on a hospital set than at my house, that I would feel somehow more comfortable, but I was such a little scaredy-cat. In the hospital, I felt like I might as well be six years old. My mother gave me rosary beads, my friend gave me a stuffed animal to go into surgery with. … I played a real badass on TV, but when it comes to being a patient it’s such a vulnerable experience.”
On the biggest thing she learned:
“Go see a doctor! We’re all so socialized to try to self-diagnose, like ‘I’ll change my workout, I’ll change my diet’. I’m very proactive and willful and independent, and in the past, even though I played a doctor on TV for years, I was not one to go see doctors very often, other than for my annual OB-GYN appointment. So for me, it was a really big wakeup call to do annual check-ups. … We should go get a checkup the same way we go to the gym, just preventatively, instead of waiting for something to go wrong.”
Thanks to Cosmopolitan.com for allowing me to share this insightful piece about Kate Walsh. She’s been one of my favorite actresses for a long time. I wondered why she had been “so scarce”. Now we know why.. and we are very glad she is in good shape! See the rest of this piece (yes, there is more!) on Cosmopolitan.com
Stevie Wilson,
LA-Story.com
______________________________________________________________________________
DEALS and STEALS(Affiliate Links)
I curate deals that offer bonuses, bargains, and great products –and some are very specifically for this site to feature to my audience because I want my audience to get amazing products from great brands! If you purchase via my link, I make a very small percentage for that purchase.
Target
Find Cosmetic Accessories and Tools at Target.com!
Mini facial eraser sponges Blends makeup flawlessly Includes 2 erasers that can be used up to 6 times Achieve a photo-quality look with the Real Techniques Miracle Mini Facial Erasers – 2 pk. This essential beauty tool helps blend your makeup to new heights, seamlessly polishing edges and lines to absolute perfection. Real techniques miracle facial eraser, makeup sponge, beauty tool
REN Glyco Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask 0.5 oz
An instant complexion-perfecting mask that brightens and renews skin tone and texture, minimizes pores, diminishes hyperpigmentation, and reduces the appearance of fine lines in as little as 10 minutes. A cocktail of four acids including glycolic acid from pineapple, lactic acid from passion fruit, citric acid from lemon, and tartaric acid from grape create multi-action exfoliation.
Labor Day Sale! 20% Off LUNA 2 & ESPADA Valid 9/1 – 9/4 Using Code: LABOR17
Temptu: Friends and Family Deal 25% off!
Subscribe to RSS headline updates from:
Powered by FeedBurner
If you are going to feature content from LA-Story.com including images, podcasts or videos including the accompanying text, please respect copyright provisions. We require a notation of content origination (meaning credit tag), a linkback to the specific page & please email the link to stevie@la-story.com before the piece goes live. LA-Story.com, LA-Story Recessionista, Celebrity Stylescope, Celebrity Style Slam Trademark/Copyright 2017-19
