S Poddar
Television presenter Davina McCall, 57, is recovering in hospital after successful brain surgery to have a benign growth known as a colloid cyst removed. The rare condition was identified during a check-up booked as part of her charitable work with charities for menopause support.
It was in a moving post on Instagram that McCall shared her experience about developing this type of tumor when the chances were “just three in a million.” She had expected a perfect health scan in the diagnosis.
She posted this update from her partner, Michael Douglas: “Davina is out of surgery, and the surgeon declares it textbook. She is recovering in ICU. You can imagine she’s completely exhausted. Thanks so much for all your love from everyone here. That is powerful stuff, and we’re hugely grateful.
Earlier, McCall had posted a video explaining her diagnosis and the treatment plan. “A few months ago, I did a menopause talk for a company and they offered me a health scan in return, it turned out that I have a benign brain tumour called a colloid cyst that is very rare. And so, I slightly put my head in the sand for a while.”. Then I was shown a few neurosurgeons, gotten so many opinions, and then I knew I had to get it removed.”
She described the tumour as big, measuring 14mm in width, and emphasized the urgency of the surgery. “It needs to come out because if it grows, it would be bad,” she said.
McCall continues to explain the surgical procedure: a craniotomy-a part of the skull is temporarily removed to access the brain. At this point, though the situation is at its most severe, she assures her followers that she is optimistic. “I’m going to be in the hospital for about nine days, then I will be heading home.”. I’ll be out of range for a while, but I don’t want you to worry about me. I’m doing enough of that as it is,” she laughed. She said she had full confidence in her medical team: “I have all the faith in the world in my surgeon and his team. I’m turning the reins over to him. He knows what he’s doing.”
As reported by the NHS, noncancerous brain tumors like McCall’s are more common in people over 50 years. Some of the symptoms include headaches, blackouts, changes in behavior, and even loss of consciousness.
She would be “off grid for a bit,” said Douglas, as she focuses on recovery. Reassuring her fans about McCall, he said that she is “in great shape and in very good hands.” He also thanks her fans for such love and support. “Feel free to send love. The support of people is amazingly powerful,” he said.
The former Big Brother presenter and now presenter of ITV’s My Mum, Your Dad has been a big advocate for women’s health, talking about topics such as contraception and menopause. Last year, McCall was awarded an MBE for her work in broadcasting.
McCall has seen this side of things too many times in her life. In fact, last year was the second time the health crisis fell upon her family. Her sister Caroline Baday died of lung cancer at age 50 in 2012.
McCall’s openness over her journey has tugged on many hearts and inspired many supportive messages from fans and fellow celebrities. At this point, being focused on recovery, her story helps remind the public of proactive health checks and that there is the resilience of the human spirit.
