T-Boz is finally speaking out about the health challenges she has faced since her days as a third of the popular group TLC. The singer (real name: Tionne Watkins) revealed to CBS news correspondent Michelle Miller that these issues are even more serious than the sickle cell anemia she's suffered from since she was a child. Three years ago, her doctor discovered that she had a brain tumor.
Although the tumor was benign, sickle cell disease made surgery risky. The 39-year-old risked losing all the tools that had projected her to fame in the first place and that allow her to continue to support herself and her 9-year-old daughter: hearing, balance, facial movement and speech.
But she still elected to undergo surgery. Her doctor explained to CBS that the tumor was about the size of a strawberry, and a major complicating factor was preserving the nerves. In the end, it was a success.
The silver lining of the ordeal: Inspiration for those battling illness, as well as something to look forward to for those who miss hearing T-Boz's voice on the albums of the girl group that made her famous. "The day I got my speech back, the next day I said, 'Now I'm going to start an album; I'm going to do a solo album,'" she said. "I was tired of this business. I was over it. But I'm like, 'OK, God is blessing me to still be able to sing, hear, talk. Maybe I'm supposed to do this."
Read more at CBS News.
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