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Topics: Health, Celebrity, Advice, NHS, Mental Health
Mia Williams
Grey's Anatomy's Kate Walsh has opened up about the 'subtle' warning signs that led to the discovery of her 'very sizeable brain tumour'.
While many would assume the symptoms that come with a brain tumour would be extremely alarming and apparent, the 57-year-old actress actually revealed how easy they were to brush off and blame on other things.
In a recent appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, the star opened up about having to advocate for herself following her brain tumour diagnosis in 2015, which saw her experience 'subtle' symptoms that she didn't initially feel were anything to worry about.
Explaining her initial signs, Walsh said: "It was like, 'Hey, I'm really tired'. And then it's like, ‘Oh, the right side of my body is dipping'."
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She recalled people saying that she must be feeling just slightly 'off', but never could have imagined the diagnosis she received.
Trying to pin the signs on something else, she explained: "It was just sort of very subtle and then very kind of, 'Oh it's ADD. I can't really focus. Oh, I've been scrolling too much.' "That kind of stuff."
Her friends also thought she might have been 'depressed', after her show, Bad Judge, was cancelled around the same time.
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But as time went on, the actress insisted that 'something was off'.
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.
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"I had to really advocate because they don’t hand out MRIs so easily. 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."
Walsh recalled the feeling of 'leaving' her own body, after hearing the shocking news.
She added: "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."
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It was just three days after her scan that the Grey's Anatomy actress had surgery to remove the growth.
She also added 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.
The star said: "I know how important it is to advocate for one's own health."