\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n \tRelated story \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tWhitney Port Says This ‘Annoying’ Surgery Is the Next Step in Her IVF Journey\t\t<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n \t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/article>\n \t \n\tThe morning of her scan, she was processing a devastating loss. Her close friend and former Dawson\u2019s Creek<\/em><\/a> costar, James Van Der Beek<\/a>, had died of colon cancer<\/a> just one day prior. Overwhelmed by grief and a packed schedule, she reached out to her ex-husband, Marc Silverstein, asking if she should just cancel the scan.<\/p>\n \n\tSilverstein stepped in with the advice she needed: \u201cHe\u2019s like, \u2018Maybe it\u2019s the best thing you could do for your friend this morning. Go get that scan,’\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \n\tThe scan showed a 2.6-centimeter lesion on her brain, which was later confirmed to be a grade 2 oligodendroglioma. According to The Brain Tumour Charity<\/a>, this specific condition is a rare type of primary brain tumor that develops from glial cells.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tThese tumors make up roughly 3% of all primary brain tumors and are most common in adults aged 30 to 50. Grade 2 tumors, like Philipps had, grow slowly, but they\u2019re often described as \u201cdiffuse,\u201d meaning they can grow into surrounding brain tissue.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tOn March 2, the actress underwent a five-hour surgery to have the tumor removed. Though she later needed a second procedure to clear a staphylococcus infection<\/a> at the incision site, she healed well and is now back to work.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThe second surgery really threw me,\u201d she told People<\/em>. \u201cI just felt like I was back to square one, and I was really, really upset.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tDespite the scary setback, Philipps is choosing to focus on the positive. She feels like the \u201cluckiest girl in the world\u201d to have caught the tumor early, and she hopes her story encourages others to be proactive about their health.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe are frequently told by doctors that there is nothing to worry about [when] you kind of know that there\u2019s something to worry about,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing to be afraid of in having information. It\u2019s only empowering.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Whitney](\"https:\/\/www.sheknows.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-sheknows-2020\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
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\n<\/section>\n<\/p>\n\n\t\tWhat\u2019s an Oligodendroglioma?\u00a0\t<\/h2>\n
\n\t\tMoving Forward\u00a0\t<\/h2>\n