What happened to Bird on Alaskan Bush People?

The last couple of years have been incredibly challenging for Alaskan Bush People’s Brown family.

As previously reported by Monsters and Critics, the patriarch of the Brown family, Billy Brown, died suddenly in February 2021 following a fatal stroke suffered at their home in Washington.

Billy’s death rightfully shook the family, and in the newest season, viewers are watching as the family reels from the pain and grief that comes from losing a loved one.

And if that wasn’t trying enough, the Brown family was in for a shock again when sister Bird experienced a cancer scare.

The eldest Brown sister found herself vulnerable and in an immense amount of pain that resulted in a trip to the hospital and fear that she would end up with a cancer diagnosis.

Another cancer diagnosis would put Bird in a similar situation to her mother, Ami, who battled (and conquered) lung cancer back in 2018.

Here’s what happened to Bird.

Bird Brown has a cancer scare on Alaskan Bush People

After making plans with her sister, Rain, and their brother, Noah, and his wife to make a trip back up from Washington to Alaska, Bird found herself in great pain.

Unlike any pain she’d felt in the past, Bird’s abdominal pain was debilitating.

During the premiere episode for the show’s new season, text across the screen at one point read, “For the past week, Bird has experienced severe abdominal pain. It is now unbearable.”

Although she was frightened at the thought of going through any sort of medical testing, Bird was finally convinced to seek medical attention after admitting she had ended up on the floor from the pain she was experiencing.

Following tests, it was revealed Bird had a cystic tumor in her abdomen surrounded by fluid. To make matters worse, another mass was found on her ovaries and was seen to be pushing on her bladder.

Did Bird Brown have surgery to remove the tumors?

After learning the news that she would require surgery due to concern that the tumors may be cancerous, Bird was understandably distraught.

She did eventually undergo surgery, though the camera crew wasn’t able to follow her into the hospital due to ongoing COVID-19 protocols.

After her surgery, it was revealed to viewers that two masses were removed from Bird’s abdomen. One mass weighed 8 lbs, while the other weighed 4 lbs.

Thankfully, the doctors were able to keep her uterus and ovaries intact, meaning Bird will still have a chance to have babies naturally in the future — though they warned her there was a high likelihood the tumors would return.

Though she’s cancer free for the time being, Bird admitted a hysterectomy was also an option, but one that scared her.

“Those decisions change your life a lot, and now it’s like I have to do it, or I can’t do it ever,” she shared.

Alaskan Bush People airs Sundays at 8/7c on Discovery.