7th maternity nurse at Newton-Wellesley Hospital reports brain tumor (2025)

Health

Debbie Connolly worked as a nurse in the maternity ward from 2005 to 2018. She was diagnosed with a right frontal lobe meningioma last month.

By Molly Farrar

May 15, 2025

2 minutes to read

Another former staff member at Newton-Wellesley Hospital has been diagnosed with a brain tumor, bringing the total up to at least seven cases, the former nurse shared with Boston.com.

The hospital, which is in the Massachusetts General Brigham network, said last month that five nurses working on the fifth floor maternity unit had been diagnosed with non-cancerous brain tumors. Hospital leadership confirmed a sixth case a week later.

Debbie Connolly told Boston.com that she worked as a nurse for more than 35 years, including working from 2005 through 2018 in the maternity unit on the fifth floor of Newton-Wellesley Hospital. After taking a medical leave, Connolly said she was fired from her role when symptoms affecting her memory and balance didn’t get better.

Then, in March, she heard about the tumors seemingly plaguing her former unit. She personally knows two people who were diagnosed with brain tumors.

“As I said to my primary care doctor, I said, ‘How many people do you know?’ I said, ‘Because, as of last month, I knew none,” Connolly said about the correlation between diagnoses and the maternity ward.

She asked her doctor for a scan, and she was diagnosed with a right frontal lobe meningioma, she said. The tumor is benign but could push on parts of the brain. Meningioma, themost common typeof brain tumor, appeared twice among the initial five confirmed cases.

Connolly said she was “just in shock” when she got the diagnosis.

The hospital declined to comment, saying there is no update in the situation. Previously, they’ve maintained that their investigation has shown “no evidence that these medical conditions were caused by the work environment.” Their investigation looked into radiation from x-rays, drinking water, and ionizing radiation from chemotherapy.

Connolly said her doctor was hesitant to attribute her years of symptoms to the small tumor, saying she wouldn’t need surgery unless it grows. She reported her diagnosis to the Massachusetts Nurses Association, which is conducting their own investigation into the incident.

A spokesperson for the union said their investigation is still ongoing but noted last month that more than 300 people returned survey responses, sent emails, and called to self-report symptoms.

At the time, the MNA said the hospital’s environmental testing “was not comprehensive.” The hospital also investigated six other cases that weren’t brain tumors but “other health concerns,” according to a memo released by the hospital at the time.

“The hospital cannot make this issue go away by attempting to provide a predetermined conclusion,” the MNA’s statement last month said.

Connolly said she worked there amid construction, and nurses would note chemical and paint smells.But, she couldn’t point to anything else that stood out.

“I absolutely do not even think for a second that this is a coincidence,” Connolly said. “I also don’t know that they will ever be able to connect what caused it, so it is very difficult.”