Most known for his role as Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Oscar-nominated actor Mark Ruffalo has recently disclosed a personal struggle that paints a far more vulnerable picture than the invulnerable superhero he portrays on screen.

During an episode of the Smartless podcast with hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett, Ruffalo opened up about a harrowing time in his life almost 20 years ago when he was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Ruffalo discovered he had the affliction while his wife was nine months pregnant with their first child.

‘I had a brain tumour after the success of You Can Count on Me,’ the 56-year-old actor recounted.

‘It’s the craziest thing. I was actually shooting The Last Castle with [James] Gandolfini and Robert Redford, and I had about a week left on that.’

Avengers actor Mark Ruffalo shared his experience of being diagnosed with a brain tumour. Credit: @markruffalo / Instagram

The diagnosis came as a shock, as the actor had no symptoms other than an ear infection. However, a vivid dream warning him of a brain tumour prompted him to seek medical advice.

‘I woke up probably around three, and I just had this crazy dream, you know, it wasn’t like any other dream I ever had. It was just like, “You have a brain tumour”, he said.

‘It wasn’t even a voice. It was just pure knowledge: “You have a brain tumour, and you have to deal with it immediately.”’

Ruffalo told his doctor: ‘“Listen, this is going to sound crazy, but I had this dream last night that I have a brain tumour,” and she said, “That is crazy, but there’s no reason you should have to worry about it. I’ll order you a CAT scan, and we’ll go right after work today, and we’ll show how crazy you are.”’

He went to the neurologist’s office to read the scan, and ‘the nurse calls the doctor out, and I could hear them talking in the other room, and she just comes in, and she’s a zombie, and she says, “You have a mass behind your left ear the size of a golf ball, and we don’t know what it is. We can’t tell until it’s biopsied.”’

He said he didn’t want to tell his wife Sunrise as she ‘had the birth plan, she did the yoga, she had the doula, we had a hot tub ordered’.

‘This is like her wedding, you know, man? This is like her christening, her quinceañera, and I was just like, “I can’t”,’ Ruffalo said.

‘She’s already like, “Oh, him again? I mean, does everything gotta be about him?” So, I just couldn’t.’

But when told his wife about the tumour. ‘At first she thought I was joking, and then she just burst into tears and said, “I always knew you were going to die young!”’

Thankfully, the tumour turned out to be benign. But it did sadly leave him ‘totally’ deaf in one ear.

‘When I woke up, the left side of my face was totally paralysed. Like I couldn’t even close my eye and was talking out of the side of my mouth,’ he explained.

The doctors had told him he had a ‘20 per cent chance of nicking the nerve on the left side of my face and killing it, and then I had 70 per cent chance of losing my hearing, which went.’

In similar news, Grammy Award-winning artist Michael Bolton shared his harrowing health update with his fans about his diagnosis of brain cancer last year.

His diagnosis and immediate surgery forced him to ‘take a temporary break from touring’ to recuperate at home. You can read more about the story here.

Key Takeaways

• Mark Ruffalo, an Oscar-nominated actor, spoke candidly about his past brain tumour diagnosis on the Smartless podcast.
• He discovered the tumour nearly two decades ago while his wife was nine months pregnant with their first child.
• Ruffalo experienced a revelatory dream about having a brain tumour, which led to a diagnosis despite having no symptoms other than an ear infection.
• The tumour was benign, but the surgery to remove it left him deaf in one ear and caused temporary paralysis on the left side of his face.

Have you or a loved one experienced a health scare similar to this one? Share them with us in the comments below.

 

[Choff5]

Most known for his role as Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Oscar-nominated actor Mark Ruffalo has recently disclosed a personal struggle that paints a far more vulnerable picture than the invulnerable superhero he portrays on screen.

During an episode of the Smartless podcast with hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett, Ruffalo opened up about a harrowing time in his life almost 20 years ago when he was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Ruffalo discovered he had the affliction while his wife was nine months pregnant with their first child.

‘I had a brain tumour after the success of You Can Count on Me,’ the 56-year-old actor recounted.

‘It’s the craziest thing. I was actually shooting The Last Castle with [James] Gandolfini and Robert Redford, and I had about a week left on that.’

View attachment 39915

Avengers actor Mark Ruffalo shared his experience of being diagnosed with a brain tumour. Credit: @markruffalo / Instagram

The diagnosis came as a shock, as the actor had no symptoms other than an ear infection. However, a vivid dream warning him of a brain tumour prompted him to seek medical advice.

‘I woke up probably around three, and I just had this crazy dream, you know, it wasn’t like any other dream I ever had. It was just like, “You have a brain tumour”, he said.

‘It wasn’t even a voice. It was just pure knowledge: “You have a brain tumour, and you have to deal with it immediately.”’

Ruffalo told his doctor: ‘“Listen, this is going to sound crazy, but I had this dream last night that I have a brain tumour,” and she said, “That is crazy, but there’s no reason you should have to worry about it. I’ll order you a CAT scan, and we’ll go right after work today, and we’ll show how crazy you are.”’

He went to the neurologist’s office to read the scan, and ‘the nurse calls the doctor out, and I could hear them talking in the other room, and she just comes in, and she’s a zombie, and she says, “You have a mass behind your left ear the size of a golf ball, and we don’t know what it is. We can’t tell until it’s biopsied.”’

He said he didn’t want to tell his wife Sunrise as she ‘had the birth plan, she did the yoga, she had the doula, we had a hot tub ordered’.

‘This is like her wedding, you know, man? This is like her christening, her quinceañera, and I was just like, “I can’t”,’ Ruffalo said.

‘She’s already like, “Oh, him again? I mean, does everything gotta be about him?” So, I just couldn’t.’

But when told his wife about the tumour. ‘At first she thought I was joking, and then she just burst into tears and said, “I always knew you were going to die young!”’

Thankfully, the tumour turned out to be benign. But it did sadly leave him ‘totally’ deaf in one ear.

‘When I woke up, the left side of my face was totally paralysed. Like I couldn’t even close my eye and was talking out of the side of my mouth,’ he explained.

The doctors had told him he had a ‘20 per cent chance of nicking the nerve on the left side of my face and killing it, and then I had 70 per cent chance of losing my hearing, which went.’

In similar news, Grammy Award-winning artist Michael Bolton shared his harrowing health update with his fans about his diagnosis of brain cancer last year.

His diagnosis and immediate surgery forced him to ‘take a temporary break from touring’ to recuperate at home. You can read more about the story here.

Key Takeaways

• Mark Ruffalo, an Oscar-nominated actor, spoke candidly about his past brain tumour diagnosis on the Smartless podcast.
• He discovered the tumour nearly two decades ago while his wife was nine months pregnant with their first child.
• Ruffalo experienced a revelatory dream about having a brain tumour, which led to a diagnosis despite having no symptoms other than an ear infection.
• The tumour was benign, but the surgery to remove it left him deaf in one ear and caused temporary paralysis on the left side of his face.

Have you or a loved one experienced a health scare similar to this one? Share them with us in the comments below.

I to have a tumour in my head which has left me deaf in my right ear.

 

[Seia Ibanez]

I to have a tumour in my head which has left me deaf in my right ear.

I'm so sorry to hear this. I hope you are feeling better now!

 

[Littleboy8]

I to have a tumour in my head which has left me deaf in my right ear.

That’s awful are you ok

 

[SGH]

It's a common occurrence, apparently. Mine was diagnosed 14 years ago, totally inoperable, scans done every year nothing happened so we stopped the scans. The doctors said if they did MRIs on every person who came in for one day, 49% would have a tumour in their head somewhere. It doesn't mean you have to have it out as it generally is a calcium deposit or something benign.

 

[Ezzy]

It's a common occurrence, apparently. Mine was diagnosed 14 years ago, totally inoperable, scans done every year nothing happened so we stopped the scans. The doctors said if they did MRIs on every person who came in for one day, 49% would have a tumour in their head somewhere. It doesn't mean you have to have it out as it generally is a calcium deposit or something benign.

Interesting information. Thankyou.

 

[Bublz]

Most known for his role as Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Oscar-nominated actor Mark Ruffalo has recently disclosed a personal struggle that paints a far more vulnerable picture than the invulnerable superhero he portrays on screen.

During an episode of the Smartless podcast with hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett, Ruffalo opened up about a harrowing time in his life almost 20 years ago when he was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Ruffalo discovered he had the affliction while his wife was nine months pregnant with their first child.

‘I had a brain tumour after the success of You Can Count on Me,’ the 56-year-old actor recounted.

‘It’s the craziest thing. I was actually shooting The Last Castle with [James] Gandolfini and Robert Redford, and I had about a week left on that.’

View attachment 39915

Avengers actor Mark Ruffalo shared his experience of being diagnosed with a brain tumour. Credit: @markruffalo / Instagram

The diagnosis came as a shock, as the actor had no symptoms other than an ear infection. However, a vivid dream warning him of a brain tumour prompted him to seek medical advice.

‘I woke up probably around three, and I just had this crazy dream, you know, it wasn’t like any other dream I ever had. It was just like, “You have a brain tumour”, he said.

‘It wasn’t even a voice. It was just pure knowledge: “You have a brain tumour, and you have to deal with it immediately.”’

Ruffalo told his doctor: ‘“Listen, this is going to sound crazy, but I had this dream last night that I have a brain tumour,” and she said, “That is crazy, but there’s no reason you should have to worry about it. I’ll order you a CAT scan, and we’ll go right after work today, and we’ll show how crazy you are.”’

He went to the neurologist’s office to read the scan, and ‘the nurse calls the doctor out, and I could hear them talking in the other room, and she just comes in, and she’s a zombie, and she says, “You have a mass behind your left ear the size of a golf ball, and we don’t know what it is. We can’t tell until it’s biopsied.”’

He said he didn’t want to tell his wife Sunrise as she ‘had the birth plan, she did the yoga, she had the doula, we had a hot tub ordered’.

‘This is like her wedding, you know, man? This is like her christening, her quinceañera, and I was just like, “I can’t”,’ Ruffalo said.

‘She’s already like, “Oh, him again? I mean, does everything gotta be about him?” So, I just couldn’t.’

But when told his wife about the tumour. ‘At first she thought I was joking, and then she just burst into tears and said, “I always knew you were going to die young!”’

Thankfully, the tumour turned out to be benign. But it did sadly leave him ‘totally’ deaf in one ear.

‘When I woke up, the left side of my face was totally paralysed. Like I couldn’t even close my eye and was talking out of the side of my mouth,’ he explained.

The doctors had told him he had a ‘20 per cent chance of nicking the nerve on the left side of my face and killing it, and then I had 70 per cent chance of losing my hearing, which went.’

In similar news, Grammy Award-winning artist Michael Bolton shared his harrowing health update with his fans about his diagnosis of brain cancer last year.

His diagnosis and immediate surgery forced him to ‘take a temporary break from touring’ to recuperate at home. You can read more about the story here.

Key Takeaways

• Mark Ruffalo, an Oscar-nominated actor, spoke candidly about his past brain tumour diagnosis on the Smartless podcast.
• He discovered the tumour nearly two decades ago while his wife was nine months pregnant with their first child.
• Ruffalo experienced a revelatory dream about having a brain tumour, which led to a diagnosis despite having no symptoms other than an ear infection.
• The tumour was benign, but the surgery to remove it left him deaf in one ear and caused temporary paralysis on the left side of his face.

Have you or a loved one experienced a health scare similar to this one? Share them with us in the comments below.

 

[Bublz]

My daughter had a brain tumour at age 10. After surgery, radiation and chemo I went home with a totally different person after 8 mths. 8 years of rehab and loads of effort to walk independently again. From top of her class to learning and speech difficulties. Next year will be 20 years and she is doing well and lives and works independently. I gave up my rising career to rehabilitate her. As a single mum at the time it was hard work, lots of love and laughter and huge commitment.

 

[magpie1]

My daughter had a brain tumour at age 10. After surgery, radiation and chemo I went home with a totally different person after 8 mths. 8 years of rehab and loads of effort to walk independently again. From top of her class to learning and speech difficulties. Next year will be 20 years and she is doing well and lives and works independently. I gave up my rising career to rehabilitate her. As a single mum at the time it was hard work, lots of love and laughter and huge commitment.

I am so sorry to learn about what your poor daughter has gone through and I hope that she is doing well now. It must have been a terrible toll on you as a single mother, but what a mother you truly are. You are an inspiration and I can only imagine the amazing relationship that you and your beautiful daughter share together. Best of luck to both of you in the future and may you both enjoy a life of love, good health and happiness together.