Earlier this year, Kirsten Storms revealed that she was exiting General Hospital temporarily…and now she’s providing a health update. She will be undergoing brain surgery for an aneurysm that was discovered.
The 41-year-old actress has played the role of Maxie Jones on General Hospital since 2005, but over the summer, announced she’d be relocating to Nashville with her daughter Harper Rose. Now, it seems her health was a factor in the decision.
Keep reading to find out more…
“Fun fact (not really ‘fun,’ but Emme and I like to find humor in uncomfortable situations…)” Storms’s post began. “In January (2025), I had a new scan done of my brain. After my surgery in 2021, my *amazing* neurosurgeon (who ‘humors’ the jokes I make during my appointments — which is okay because he’s very smart) has been monitoring the cyst that he left on my brain, when he removed one that was causing me problems. The January scan happened because I had symptoms that the doctors thought could’ve been brain-related. OK — when I say that I was shocked when the doctors told me they found an aneurysm on the right side of my brain… welp, I basically launched into a standup comedy routine,” she wrote on Instagram.
“I had a procedure done that weekend, where the doctor thread a camera from my leg up to my brain,” she continued. “(It’s a routine procedure, but the path inside your body that they lead the camera through is *insane*… THE CAMERA GOES THROUGH YOUR ARMPIT, guys. Your. Armpit.) Anyway, because of the *slightly* complex situation with the aneurysm (nothing bad, just not typical), it wasn’t coiled that weekend. I checked in with my super smart surgeon, completed my next few months at work, started my hiatus, and left California. Did you guys know that Emme was by my side every single day during my 2021 craniotomy and hospital recovery? I remember waking up in the ICU right after my procedure, and the first thing she said was ‘How are you?? DO YOU STILL LOVE YARN?’ My neurosurgeon did give a chuckle to that joke. Anyway, Neurology stuff makes me feel a bit of nervousness, so now—here I am with Emme, in St Louis. And we are crocheting the most beautiful sweaters, while my coiling procedure is being scheduled for sometime in the next 2 weeks,” she continued.
“Emotional support, when going through times in life that cause worry, is crucial,” Storms shared. “Aneurysms (obviously) can be caused by stress. Brain cysts? I believe that is possible too…. and since the January scan showed a new, but very small, squatter (aka cyst) on my brain stem — it was clear I needed to change some things in my life asap. For my own personal reasons, no longer living in Los Angeles was very important to me. The biggest reason for the move was Harper, but a lot of it was for my physical and mental health. And my overall happiness,” she added.