Hoping to raise awareness and money for a charity close to her heart, HGTV star Sherry Holmes posted an Instagram video on January 27, 2026, in which she shared that she underwent surgery at age 19 — nearly 20 years ago — after doctors discovered that her “chronic headaches” were being caused by a brain tumor.
Sherry stars in “Holmes Family Rescue” and “Holmes on Homes: Building A Legacy” with her dad, famed Canadian contractor Mike Holmes, and her brother, Michael Holmes, Jr. After she survived her brain tumor surgery as a teen, Sherry said in her new video, her dad introduced her to the mom of another brain tumor patient named Meagan, who died at age four. Sherry hopes that by sharing her own journey, fans will be inspired to support a foundation created in Meagan’s honor.
HGTV’s Sherry Holmes Says She Underwent Surgery 2 Weeks After Doctors Found Her Brain Tumor
The caption of Sherry’s January 27 post shared that Meagan Bebenek suffered from an inoperable and malignant brain tumor, and died six months after her diagnosis. Her mom, Denise, “knew she had to do something to help other children who faced serious health challenges,” Sherry wrote.
The video Sherry posted featured footage from a longer video she had shared via Facebook and YouTube three months prior, sharing in detail how she learned she had a tumor and what happened next.
In that video, Sherry said she learned her diagnosis after her doctor opted to send her in for a CAT scan to make sure nothing serious was causing her ongoing headaches.
“I get a CAT scan, I go home, think nothing of it,” Sherry recalled, noting that she ignored her doctor’s follow-up calls, assuming everything was fine. But when her doctor’s office finally got a hold of Sherry via her sister, she was asked to come in and bring someone with her.
“I showed up to meet my doctor the very next day,” Sherry shared. “I brought someone with me, and I found out, in terms I didn’t fully understand, that I had a brain tumor with a cyst on top of it.”
Sherry Holmes Didn’t Want Her Diagnosis to ‘Scare My Family Members’
Following an MRI, she said doctors said she needed to have surgery “quickly” and, within two weeks, she was in the hospital for surgery.
“I remember going in and having my head shaved, and none of my family had even made it to the hospital on time, because there’s this huge snow storm,” Sherry recalled. “So I saw my dad literally as I was being wheeled into an O.R. and I had needles in my arms, and half my hair was gone, and it was just a very interesting experience.”
Not wanting to “scare my family members,” Sherry said, “I wanted to really shoulder a lot of that burden and potential trauma that it could have caused them. So I mean, and also maybe it was ignorance on my part, too, is I didn’t really want to believe the potential of anything that could happen. Everything was going to be okay, and I need to keep my chin up and get through it. It worked out.”
Fans Share Gratitude for HGTV’s Sherry Holmes Sharing Her Story & Foundation
HGTVThough Sherry had a positive outcome after her surgery and said she’s still doing well nearly two decades later, the HGTV star is well aware that other young people do not have the same results — including the daughter of Denise Bebenek, whose foundation is focused on pediatric brain tumor awareness.
“A lot of people don’t understand the mortality rate with brain tumors and what it can do to your child, what it can do to your family,” Sherry said in her video. “So we need more funds to research this issue. It’s very important that we raise awareness for it.”
Fans responded to Sherry’s January 27 post with gratitude for sharing her story and details about the Megan Bebenek Foundation, including one who wrote, “You’re so strong Sherry! This foundation is so beautiful and I’m glad I got to witness everyone come together last year at sick kids to support.”
Another commented, “❤️❤️❤️❤️😢 this is great thank you for sharing your story. I’m a big fan of yours.”
