News Anchor Tori Carmen’s Brain Cancer Journey

In February 2025, at the height of her career as a news anchor for Fox Carolina, Tori Carmen was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

What followed was an extensive treatment plan, including a craniotomy and radiation to the brain. On May 30, 2025, Carmen finally rang the hospital gong to celebrate the end of her treatment plan. Today, she has been back on air for over half a year.

Here is what we know about her fight with cancer.

Carmen was on a ski trip in February 2025 with her then-fiancé when she first began to feel unwell. At first, her doctors suspected that she had caught a bug on the trip.

On February 28, in the middle of the night, Carmen woke up screaming. She was having a seizure. Her right half was paralyzed, and she was in immense pain. “I thought I was dying.”

Upon reaching the hospital, she underwent a CT scan, which showed a mass in her brain. Her neurosurgeon further conducted an MRI before diagnosing the mass as a meningioma, a kind of benign brain tumor.

Carmen was told that the mass would need to be surgically removed, as it was the cause of the seizure. Following the surgery, which her doctor said went well, she spent two days in the hospital. “[The scar] looked like a stable headband across the top of my head, from ear to ear,” recalled Carmen.

Two weeks later, at a follow-up appointment to get the staples removed, her healthcare team revealed to her that the tumor was a malignant, aggressive, grade 3 anaplastic meningioma instead.

Carmen’s doctor told her that to live a long life, she had to get radiation to the brain. She recalled an instant influx of questions. “What does that mean for my future? What does that mean for my career? Am I going to be able to have grandchildren and remember their names?”

The doctors also gave Carmen the option to wait and watch, since the tumor had already been removed. Despite this option and the risks associated with radiation therapy, she opted to undergo gamma knife radiation therapy. “We weren’t going to just wait and watch.”

On May 30, 2025, Carmen underwent her final session of treatment, marking the end of her journey.

Carmen returned to television in July last year. She has had to maintain a good work-life balance to ensure time for rest and doctor’s appointments. To monitor the status of her health, she has an MRI once every three months and is on medication to prevent seizures.

Carmen has also since become more involved in advocating for cancer care. She is a volunteer for brain cancer non-profit organizations, and has shared her story to raise awareness for those in the same position as her.

“I'm transparent about sharing, especially for women: If there is something that doesn't feel right, make sure you go to the doctor. Take care of yourself. A lot of times we put things off because we're worried about everybody else.”