Actress Talks About Being Conscious During Surgery
Actress Jordana Brewster spoke openly about being conscious during brain surgery to remove a cavernous malformation. The treatment followed two breakthrough seizures and saw doctors shave part of her skull as they kept her awake during the treatment. Brewster revealed the details on the June 30 episode of the She MD podcast, explaining how the ordeal started when she was 28 after suffering two breakthrough seizures. “I had it diagnosed to me when I was 28, and I had medication for 14 years,” the 46-year-old actress said. “So, they were really trying to manage it.”
Jordana, who starred in As the World Turns, said the doctors kept her awake during the surgery to monitor her language skills. “They actually shaved this particular region,” she continued. “So, they opened my skull up and I was on my side and there was somebody in front of me showing me cards and kind of testing my language and two brilliant neurosurgeons behind me.” She added that they did so to ensure that the critical part of the brain that helps people speak is not affected. “So, if I couldn’t come up with the word association or if I couldn’t answer the question correctly, they (doctors) said, ‘Okay, well, we hit a region we shouldn’t have hit and let’s just stay away from there.’”
Unexpected Side Effect
The actress, mother of two, from her marriage to Andrew Form, opened up on a strange side effect she suffered during the treatment. “It was interesting because I think I know what it’s like to have aphasia now,” Brewster said. “You think it, you know the answer to the question, but for some reason, you can’t say it, and it’s very strange.”
The procedure also helped her develop more empathy for those who cannot express their thoughts clearly. “It made me think, you know, what about patients that are in a coma or what about patients that can’t articulate what they want to say but it’s there, which is really frustrating,” she added.
Successful Treatment, Six Years Later
Brewster reported that the treatment was successful and that she has been seizure-free for the last six years. “It was a huge undertaking, but I think it was worth it,” she said. “I think the biggest reason why I did it was because I kind of turned my life around in 2020 and I think that gave me the guts to do something about the CVM.”
The star cited 2020 as the year everything changed, including her personal life, as she announced her divorce from Form and married Mason Morfit in 2022. “I got a divorce. I found the love of my life. It was like Eat Pray Love on steroids,” she concluded.
