Busy Philipps diagnosed with rare brain tumor, says she's 'grateful to be alive'

Actress Busy Philipps is opening up about a recent diagnosis of a rare brain tumor, an experience she described as "the weirdest six months of my life." The "Freaks and Geeks" star shared that she is "grateful that I'm alive" and considers herself "the luckiest girl in the world" following the discovery and treatment.

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Grateful that I’m alive.

Philipps revealed that she had a malignant brain tumor removed just weeks before she was scheduled to begin filming her new show, "Cupertino." The diagnosis came after she decided to undergo a full-body MRI scan, a Prenuvo scan, which checks for over 500 conditions. She had initially read about the scan on Instagram and felt compelled to get it, though she couldn't explain why at the time.

The scan, initially scheduled for January, was postponed due to a blizzard, eventually taking place on February 12. Tragically, this was the day after her "Dawson's Creek" co-star James Van Der Beek died of cancer. Following the scan, her doctor identified a lesion on her brain, prompting a follow-up MRI.

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I’m the luckiest girl in the world.

After the second MRI, a neurologist confirmed the presence of a tumor inside her brain, stating, "Busy, it's got to come out." The confirmation left Philipps hyperventilating. She then had to inform her two daughters, Birdie, 18, and Cricket, 13. Her eldest daughter was understandably scared, but Philipps reassured her, "Birdie, you're just not in the movie where your mom dies your senior year of high school. That's just not the movie that you're in. I promise you."

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The weirdest six months of my life.

A five-hour procedure on March 2 successfully removed the 2.6-centimeter mass. Her neuro-oncologist, Dr. John Golfinos, noted that Philipps' early detection was crucial. He stated that if she had waited until experiencing seizures, the tumor could have been two or three times larger, potentially making removal more difficult.

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I didn’t know why I wanted to get this scan except for the fact that I just did.