Jordana Brewster has shared one of the most personal stories of her life, revealing what it was like to stay awake during brain surgery. The “Fast & Furious” star said the unusual procedure allowed doctors to protect her ability to speak while removing a condition that had caused seizures for years.
Although Brewster was diagnosed with a cavernous malformation at age 28, medication successfully controlled her symptoms for more than a decade. After experiencing two breakthrough seizures, however, she decided it was finally time to undergo an awake craniotomy in 2020.
Jordana Brewster describes what it was like to remain awake while surgeons protected her speech during the procedure
Speaking on the June 30 episode of the She MD podcast, Brewster explained that surgeons needed her awake because the abnormal cluster of blood vessels was located in the language center of her brain.
“They shaved this part,” Brewster recalled. “They opened my skull, and I was on my side, and there was someone in front of me showing me cards and sort of testing my language, and two brilliant neurosurgeons behind me,” she said on She MD.
The actress explained that the language exercises weren’t random. They served as a real-time roadmap for her surgeons. “If I couldn’t come up with a word association or if I couldn’t answer a question,” Brewster said, “they knew, ‘Okay, we’ve hit a part of the brain we shouldn’t hit and let’s stay away from there,’” according to She MD.
The experience also gave the former “As the World Turns” actress a new appreciation for how the brain works. She recalled briefly experiencing aphasia during surgery, describing the unsettling feeling of knowing the answer to a question but being physically unable to say it.
“You think it, you know the answer, but you’re not able to say it,” Brewster explained on She MD. The moment also made her think about patients in comas or those who struggle to communicate despite understanding what’s happening around them.
Thankfully, the procedure was a success. Brewster revealed she has now been seizure-free for six years.
She also reflected on how 2020 became a turning point in more ways than one. Alongside undergoing brain surgery, Brewster divorced Andrew Form before later marrying Mason Morfit in 2022, according to EO Online. “I got a divorce. I found the love of my life. It was like Eat Pray Love on steroids,” she joked on She MD.
Looking back, Brewster said she no longer wanted to live under the constant fear of another seizure. Now, she’s simply grateful to be healthy.
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