Actress Busy Philipps says she is “grateful to be alive” after undergoing two surgical procedures following the discovery of a brain tumor.

The “Freaks and Geeks” star revealed in an interview with People that the medical issue came to light after she sought a full-body MRI screening.

The path to her diagnosis started in June 2025 during her yearly physical exam. Philipps asked her primary doctor about full-body MRI scans, which have grown in popularity for detecting early-stage cancers and autoimmune disorders. Her physician advised against it, telling her she was healthy.

Months later, a second opinion from a family member who is a doctor encouraged her to move forward. The doctor told her that “Knowledge is power.”

Philipps scheduled her screening for February 2026, one day after the death of her friend and former “Dawson’s Creek” co-star James Van Der Beek. The resulting scans revealed a lesion in her brain.

Recalling the moment of the scan, Philipps said, “My life was sort of flashing before my eyes a little bit.”

Following the results, Philipps contacted Dr. Orrin Devinsky, a neurologist who treats her daughter for epilepsy. After reviewing the scan, Devinsky advised that the tumor needed to come out. He introduced her to Dr. Golfinos, who performed the operation.

Philipps had to share the news with her daughters, Birdie Leigh Silverstein and Cricket Pearl Silverstein, whom she shares with ex-husband Marc Silverstein. She noted that Birdie was “really, really scared.”

”I just kept saying to her, ‘Birdie, you’re just not in the movie where your mom dies senior year of high school, that’s just not the movie that you’re in. I promise you,” Philipps said.

Following the procedure, doctors determined the mass was a 2.8 cm by 1.8 cm stage 2 glioma on her right frontal lobe. The National Institutes of Health notes that gliomas are “the most common primary brain tumors of the central nervous system.” Testing confirmed the growth was “caused by an IDH mutation.”

Surgeons removed the entire tumor, and Philipps is not currently undergoing radiation or chemotherapy. She will undergo MRI scans every three months over the next two years to monitor her health.

”It really is sort of the best case scenario of the worst case scenario, I suppose,” Philipps said.

Although the tumor removal went well, a follow-up procedure six weeks later created new challenges. Philipps said the second operation “really threw me.”

Medical staff informed her that her surgical incisions required debridement—a medical process to clear out dead, infected, or damaged tissue to promote healing.

Doctors discovered two forms of staphylococcus infection during the procedure. Philipps then completed a 29-day course of high-dose oral antibiotics.

Now recovered, the actress hopes her journey encourages others to trust their instincts about their personal health choices.

”First of all, there’s nothing to be afraid of in having information, it’s only empowering,” she said. “And secondly, if you feel anything, don’t let some doctor be like, there’s — ‘I don’t like it, you don’t need to do it. That’s a waste of time.’ See things through if you can.”