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BBC: Oops. A Minor Mistake
Unfortunately, sickle cell disease isn’t the only serious medical condition that Tionne Watkins has dealt with over the years. In 2006, Watkins was also diagnosed with a non-cancerous brain tumor that required surgery. “I started having headaches. They were so frequent; something was wrong,” Watkins revealed to CNN in 2011 (via The Hollywood Reporter). Then, her doctor gave her a troubling diagnosis. “My doctor called but his voice sounded funny. And I said, ‘You’re going to say something like I have a brain tumor or something right?’ And he got quiet.”
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After receiving her diagnosis, Watkins’ sickle cell disease made finding a surgeon to operate on the tumor extra difficult. “They were like, ‘No, I’m sorry, sickle cell is a factor, that’s your reality and you can die,'” Watkins revealed to CBS News in 2009. However, Watkins was adamant about getting the surgery in the hopes that it would prolong her life. “I’m still going through old school surgery and I want to find that person who I have faith in saving my hearing and even trying to just save me, save my face, save my balance, try, just try,” recalled Watkins. Fortunately, Watkins’ neurosurgeon, Dr. Keith Black, successfully removed the tumor.
