Kirsten Storms Taking a Break From ‘General Hospital’ Following Brain Surgery

On Monday, the Soap Opera Network announced that Storms will be taking a temporary leave of absence to focus on her recovery.

Kirsten Storms is stepping back from General Hospital to focus on her health after undergoing brain surgery. On Monday, the Soap Opera Network announced that Storms will be taking a temporary leave of absence to focus on her recovery. Storms was last seen on the July 19 episode of the daytime TV drama, during which her character, Maxie Jones, left Port Charles with her baby and went to Texas, where she'll be for the foreseeable future. ET has reached out to Storms' reps for comment but have yet to hear back.

In June, Storms revealed that she had been suffering from some "random health issues" that led her to get brain surgery. She shared details of her diagnosis and surgery to remove a large cyst, thanking fans for their support. 

"I spent the last few years having random health issues that I disregarded as side affects to my medications or just something I was experiencing due to age," Storms wrote. "When I went to get an MRI for some severe neck pain I have been experiencing for the last few months (I assumed this neck pain was also causing my frequent 'migraines') my amazingly thorough orthopedist ordered an MRI of my head just to be on the 'safe side' - even though that isn’t his area of expertise. Truly a great doctor." 

"That’s when we stumbled upon a rather large, very full of fluid, cyst that was attached to the lower portion of brain," she continued. "I feel very fortunate that my situation wasn’t more serious and that I had a wonderful neurosurgeon who immediately knew how to fix it."

The actress confessed that brain surgery made her nervous, but her friends, family and work family were so supportive and kind. 

"Work is a great place to be everyday and for the 2 months leading up to my surgery I found a lot of comfort being around the people I’ve worked beside for so many years," she explained. "I’m excited to get back to it after my recovery. (Yes, they shaved a portion of my head, so please no comments if you don’t like my hair. It’s temporary.)" 

"Again, thank you to everyone for sending positive vibes my way. It’s not gone unnoticed. ♥️," she said. "Fun fact: I now firmly believe the new plates in my brain will give me some sort of special ability. Fingers crossed I can suddenly knit a sweater in 1 day. Ooo maybe 1 hour. 😮." 

After clarifying that the cyst was not cancerous, Storms added that she'd be "on the mend" for several weeks, before making her return to work. It's unclear when Storms will be back on General Hospital.

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