Tiny Pretty Things star Barton Cowperthwaite has revealed he’s been diagnosed with stage two brain cancer.
The actor and dancer, 31, shared the news in a video and written message to his 182,000 Instagram followers over the weekend, wherein he revealed he’s preparing for brain surgery.
“So… Yesterday I was diagnosed with at least a stage 2 Glioma. It is a fairly decent-sized brain tumour,” his first message, written alongside a photo of him in the hospital, began.
Watch the video above.
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“The tumour’s cells originate in the brain, so it’s not spread from a cancer anywhere else in the body,” he continued, noting how doctors have advised him surgery is the next course of action for his specific situation.
He said that doctors think the surgery will be a success, saying: “Docs so far have been confident that they’ll be able to remove most of the tumour, and that after a successful operation and some rehab, I will be operating like my (amazing, talented, brilliant, hilarious) self. That being said it seems like scans and check ups will be apart of my life for its lengthy remainder.”
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Cowperthwaite added that he was getting ”second opinions” and that he is planning to go into surgery this week.
He concluded: “I am planning on fully bouncing back to be better than my former glory! Please feel free to reach out and I’ll do my best to stay connected with as many people as I can. All my love. 💙”
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In a follow up video, he revealed he started a crowdfunding page and in another, said the tumour was “lemon-sized”.
He also thanked his fans for the outpouring of support.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart, the support has been absolutely staggering… I’m just overwhelmed so thank you so much and I love you… over the past few weeks I had several seizures, I had scans,” he said.
According to John Hopkins Medicine, a stage two Glioma is “a common type of tumour originating in the brain”.
Symptoms include headaches and seizures, nausea and vomiting.
Stage two is reportedly a “low grade” type of tumour and treatment includes surgery or chemotherapy or radiation.
This article does not replace specific medical advice from seeing a medical professional. If you have questions about your body specifically, seek advice from your doctor.