‘Home and Away’ Actress Alea O’Shea, 25, Says She’s Letting Go of Forced Positivity and Turning to ‘Body Neutrality’ as She Navigates Changes From Brain Cancer Treatment

O’Shea says she’s done pretending she feels beautiful on days when she doesn’t. The actress says she’s done pretending that positivity alone can override the physical and emotional toll of cancer treatment.

 

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“I don’t love that my face is more swollen than usual,” she admits in an Instagram post.

“I’m not going to sit here with the positivity and say, ‘You’re beautiful no matter what,’ and blah blah blah, because I know that doesn’t come in unless you believe it yourself.”

The 25‑year‑old shared that lingering effects from her brain tumor and treatment sometimes leave her struggling with memory lapses and even the ability to walk.

More specifically, a glioma is a type of tumor that originates in the central nervous system, specifically in the brain or spinal cord.

WATCH: What is a Glioma: Understanding Types & Standard of Care

Earlier this year, O’Shea shared a major milestone in her brain cancer journey after she finished radiation therapy, which remains the cornerstone treatment for gliomas, using precise, high‑energy beams to slow tumor growth and ease symptoms like headaches, seizures, and neurological changes.

“Radiation is a very effective treatment for glioma,” explains Dr. Nicolas Gonzalez Castro, a neuro‑oncologist at Dana‑Farber Cancer Institute. “But it’s also associated with neurotoxicity, affecting healthy brain cells that receive high doses of radiation.”

WATCH: What to Expect From Glioma Surgery?

Instead of forcing herself into a mindset that doesn’t feel real, she’s choosing honesty.

“You may as well not glaze me. We need to just allow ourselves to say, ‘Hey, I’m not crazy about this right now.’”

For O’Shea, body neutrality isn’t about loving every change or hating them, but rather, it’s about acknowledging reality without letting it define her.

“I think the minute we start embracing neutrality instead of trying to be positive or negative and just be neutral, that’s the key.”

Cancer treatment has reshaped her body in ways she never expected.

 

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“A lot of what I look like is because of my cancer. I’d be lying if I were to say this is the first time I’ve looked in the mirror and said I hate it. Even the body I wish I had right now, four months ago, is not enough for me.”

O’Shea says she’s been isolating recently, struggling with the disconnect between how she feels and how she wants to feel. Sharing her video was a form of “exposure therapy,” a way to push herself back into the world even when she doesn’t feel ready.

O’Shea isn’t presenting body neutrality as a perfect solution. She’s not even sure it will work.

“I’m really into this ‘embrace neutrality’ thing. I’m sharing this in real-time, and I cannot tell you if it’s going to work or not, but join me and let’s do it together.”

For many people navigating cancer, O’Shea’s approach to a changing body while going through treatment can be like a breath of fresh air. Every step of the journey isn’t beautiful or charming and can wreak havoc on self-confidence. Sometimes, acknowledging the middle stages of treatment is the most compassionate thing you can do for yourself.

O’Shea’s Ongoing Journey

O’Shea has undergone brain surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy so far as she and her care team continue to treat her brain tumor.

Gliomas can also extend into areas of the brain where complete removal is not possible without risking serious neurological side effects. Although surgery aims to remove as much of the tumor as possible, microscopic cells often persist. These remaining cells can later grow and cause the tumor to return.

 

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To help reduce this risk, radiation therapy (and sometimes chemotherapy) is recommended

Dr. Jacob Young, a neurosurgeon specializing in glioma surgery at the University of California, San Francisco, explains to SurvivorNet what goes into brain surgery.

“Believe it or not, it’s very safe to do awake surgery. That doesn’t mean that the patient is wide awake the entire time. We are talking about many hours for these operations. We have to go slow to be safe, but what we do is we get patients very comfortable,” says Dr. Young.

WATCH: Diagnosing Gliomas — Resections and the Grading System

“We use a combination of intravenous medications and local medicine, just like you would get at the dentist. To numb the skin and the area around the incision. [This] allows us to awaken a patient when we need them, to participate in either language or cognitive testing.”

Dr. Young continues, “We can have patients awake and participating in tasks to help guide us. To let us know if they’re starting to develop any indications that we’re getting close to critical areas.”

Making Sense of a Brain Tumor Diagnosis

According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), brain tumors account for 85-90% of all primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors. They can either be cancerous (malignant) or non-cancerous (benign), and depending on where the tumor forms in the brain, doctors determine its type, potential symptoms, and potential treatment.

WATCH: Debunking 5G Claims Causing Brain Cancer

Signs and Symptoms of Brain Tumors

Brain tumors impact a person’s brain function and overall health, depending on their size, type, and location within the brain. Tumors that grow big enough and disrupt normal central nervous system functioning can press on nearby nerves, blood vessels, or other tissues. The disrupted central nervous system can present in various ways, making walking or maintaining balance difficult.

However, it’s important to know that brain tumors do not always cause symptoms.

Other signs of brain tumors may include:

• Headaches
• Difficulty speaking or thinking
• Weakness
• Behavioral changes
• Vision changes
• Seizures
• Loss of hearing
• Confusion
• Memory loss

Types of Cancerous and Non-Cancerous Brain Tumors

A brain tumor can affect you differently depending on its location and if it is cancerous. Some brain tumors are non-cancerous (or benign). According to the National Cancer Institute, some examples of these types of brain tumors include:

• Chordomas are primarily benign and slow-growing and are often found near the tailbone or where the spine meets the skull.
• Craniopharyngiomas are rare, slow-growing tumors that don’t spread to other parts of the brain or body. They form near the pituitary gland, near the base of the brain.
• Gangliocytomas are rare tumors of the central nervous system that tend to form on the temporal lobe (the left or right side of the brain).
• Glomus jugulare is a rare and slow-growing tumor.
• Meningiomas are rare brain tumors that usually form on the outer layer of tissue that covers the brain (dura mater).
• Pineocytomas are rare and slow-growing tumors located in the pineal gland near the middle of the brain.
• Pituitary adenomas are slow-growing brain tumors of the anterior pituitary located in the lower part of the brain.
• Schwannomas are rare tumors that grow on the cells that protect nerve cells. They are called Schwann cells.
• Acoustic neuromas (vestibular schwannoma) are slow-growing tumors that develop from the nerves that help balance and hearing.

Other brain tumors are malignant or cancerous. These kinds of tumors include:

• Gliomas are the most common form of cancerous and aggressive primary brain tumors.
• Astrocytoma (glioma) forms in astrocytes (star-shaped cells). Depending on how aggressive or fast they grow and impact brain tissue, these tumors are classified into four grades.
• Ependymomas are tumors classified into three grades depending on how aggressive or fast they grow.
• Oligodendroglioma tumors are classified into grades depending on their growth speed. Grade 2 oligodendroglioma tumors are slow-growing and can invade nearby tissue, but they may not present symptoms for many years before detection. Meanwhile, grade 3 oligodendroglioma tumors proliferate.
• Medulloblastoma tumors are classified into four different grades depending on their aggressive nature or how quickly they grow.
• Glioblastoma, which is considered a central nervous system (CNS) tumor, is the most common and aggressive brain tumor in adults.

WATCH: Liquid Biopsy: What It Is And Why You Might Need One As a Cancer Patient

Inside Brain Tumor Surgery and Recovery: What Patients Can Expect

Surgery to remove a brain tumor is delicate by nature, and every movement inside the skull must balance precision with safety.

“We take off the bone overlaying the area we need to get to. We open the little envelope around the brain called the dura, and then we move through the brain tissue to get to where the tumor is to try to cut out as much as we can safely—without hurting the patient’s function or other important things like big blood vessels that can cause things like a stroke,” says board-certified neurosurgeon at Emory University School of Medicine Dr. Kimberly Hoang.

Following surgery, patients are closely monitored and often receive radiation to prevent tumor regrowth—particularly in cases where multiple tumors or metastatic disease are involved.

“Because many patients can have more than one brain tumor or metastasis from their cancer, it was not reasonable to think about surgery for them,” Dr. Hoang adds. “They also get radiation for those spots as well, to try to keep those tumors from growing or shrink them down.”

Treatment Advancements & the Challenge of the Blood-Brain Barrier

Chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapies have long been effective in treating cancer throughout the body. But the brain’s natural defense — the blood-brain barrier — makes these treatments less effective when it comes to brain tumors.

This barrier is “a network of blood vessels and tissue…made up of closely spaced cells and helps keep harmful substances from reaching the brain,” according to the National Cancer Institute.

Still, Dr. Hoang notes that recent advancements in drug design are beginning to improve treatment efficacy in the brain.

Understanding Side Effects of Brain Tumor Treatment

Side effects vary depending on the tumor’s size, location, and number of lesions present.

“Radiation treatment can cause swelling in the tumor as the tumor ‘dies,’ and the surrounding tissue can also become swollen as the treatment takes effect,” Dr. Krishanthan Vigneswaran, a neurosurgeon with UT Health Houston and Memorial Hermann, tells SurvivorNet.

“This swelling can cause symptoms of headache, nausea, vomiting, and neurological loss of function…Surgical resection can also induce swelling, but this is more transient.”

Tumor location often determines what symptoms emerge:

“If it’s near your movement area, movement on one side of the body can be affected. If it’s near your speech area, your speech and the way you form words and express them can be affected,” Dr. Hoang explains.

She also notes brain surgery tends to be less painful than other types — like spinal or abdominal — due to fewer nerves in the surgical area.

Recovery & Long-Term Monitoring

Simpson still receives recurring MRI scans to monitor his brain for any signs of cancer progression.
“Because of this unique quality of metastatic brain disease, an oncology team will have to monitor a patient indefinitely during remission,” Dr. Vigneswaran says.

Many experts recommend joining a support group — especially one with people who’ve undergone similar procedures. Their lived experience can offer comfort and practical advice.

“Support groups can be incredibly helpful to patients and are commonly offered at major cancer centers and hospitals,” says Dr. Jennifer Moliterno, Chief of Neurosurgical Oncology at Yale Cancer Center.

Mental health professionals are also often part of the care team, helping patients manage the emotional effects of surgery, treatment, and recovery.

How Genetic Testing Can Make a Difference In Your Glioma Treatment Journey

Gliomas are a type of tumor that starts in the brain. They can range from slow-growing (low-grade) to more aggressive forms.

“Nowadays, with not only brain cancers, but cancers in general, there has been a lot that’s been discovered about how different mutations in the tumor actually affect the behavior. Also, there are a number of mutations for which we have drugs that can target those mutations,” Dr. David Peereboom, an oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center in Ohio, tells SurvivorNet.

Biomarkers are essentially a tumor’s “fingerprints.” By studying these fingerprints, doctors can predict what treatments may be most effective and least toxic for you.

“The way to discover that [biomarker] is to do testing,” Dr. Peereboom explains. “The most helpful testing is called Next Generation Sequencing. What that does is it looks at all the DNA in the tumor, and the DNA is analyzed, and there are parts of DNA that may be abnormal or mutated.”

This testing might be performed using tissue obtained during a biopsy, surgery, or a blood test.

“There are a handful of those mutations that are called driver mutations,” Dr. Peereboom adds. “Driver mutations, as the name implies, are mutations that actually drive the behavior of the cancer. And for a handful of those, they’re actually, nowadays, there are some drugs that will target those mutations.”

How is Molecular Testing Done?

Molecular testing is typically performed on a sample of tumor tissue. This tissue is obtained from either surgery or a biopsy. Pathologists conduct the testing; these doctors are specially trained to study the characteristics of tumor tissues.

Molecular testing is widely available throughout the country, making it accessible to most patients diagnosed with gliomas.

What Types of Molecular Testing Are There?

Several molecular testing techniques are used on tissue samples. One method is antibody staining, where pathologists “stain the tumor with an antibody to look for the presence of the IDH mutant protein,” Dr. Alexandra Miller, Director of the Neuro-Oncology Division at NYU Langone Health, explains. Tumors without the mutation will not be visible with the stain. However, tumors that have the IDH mutation will stain or show a color that pathologists can recognize. This is a very common technique pathologists use for many tumor types.

WATCH: Understanding Molecular Testing for Glioma

Another method is molecular sequencing, which Dr. Miller explains is a process where doctors examine the DNA of the tumor cells to find specific changes or mutations in the genes. Both techniques can confirm whether the IDH mutation is present in the tumor cells.

Dr. Miller tells SurvivorNet that molecular testing “should be performed on every glioma.”

By determining whether a tumor carries the IDH mutation, doctors can offer FDA-approved targeted therapies like Vorasidenib, which Dr. Miller calls a “huge breakthrough” that slows the progression of the disease. This personalized approach marks an exciting advancement in the fight against gliomas, giving patients new hope and better treatment options.

WATCH: Who Benefits From Vorasidenib?

The FDA-approved drug Vorasidenib marks a major advance for patients with IDH-mutant gliomas—especially grade 2 tumors. In the INDIGO trial, a Phase 3 clinical trial, it reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 61% and extended progression-free survival (period with stable disease) from 11.1 to 27.7 months. For many patients, that represents a life-changing difference.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a glioma, be sure to discuss molecular testing with your treating team. Here are some questions to ask:

• Do you need both the tissue sample and blood samples for molecular testing?
• What specific mutations will you be testing for in my tumor?
• Do I have any genetic mutation that would change the course of my treatment?
• Am I eligible to receive targeted therapy? What about immunotherapy?
• Is there a clinical trial that would be relevant for me?

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