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If I Only Had a Brain...Tumor

Due to a childhood injury that affected her brain, BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL’s Pam bypasses jail to go directly to a treatment facility (and doesn’t collect $200). She’s hardly the first daytime character whose head trauma has gotten them off the hook for their actions — or gotten them into more trouble.

Carly, GENERAL HOSPITAL, 2003-’04
After Sonny shot her in the head as she gave birth to their son, Morgan, Carly slipped into a deep coma, envisioning an alternate life with Lorenzo Alcazar. When she awoke, those feelings of love were still there and a baffled and heartbroken Carly couldn’t connect to Sonny or her children. After Sonny rejected her for her emotional betrayal and a custody battle for the kids ensued, she ended up falling in love with Lorenzo for real.Jonathan, ALL MY CHILDREN; 2005
Ryan Lavery’s ne’er-do-well younger brother grew increasingly violent, hitting girlfriend Maggie Stone and exploding into rages. He eventually tried to kill Kendall, Lily and Greenlee, and holed up with the corpse of his brother, Braden — whom he did kill. But months after Jonathan was presumed dead in an explosion, he resurfaced with a brain tumor. Once they “cut the bad part out,” Jonathan became a genial, lovable romantic hero who fell in love with autistic Lily.Jana, YOUNG AND RESTLESS; 2006-’07
Jana Hawkes killed Newman Enterprises employee Carmen Mesta and even locked Kevin and Colleen in a freezer to burn to death, all because of a mysterious reliquary and the treasure it was linked to. When she later contacted Kevin, he set a trap to catch her. She was arrested for her crimes, but began having violent seizures. Viewers learned a brain tumor had caused Jana’s erratic behavior. Former victim Kevin stood by her side as she got treatment and began serving her sentence. They soon fell in love.Carly, AS THE WORLD TURNS; 2007
Thinking she was dying of a terminal brain lesion, Carly Tenney was content to suffer in silence and keep the truth from her family. When her condition inevitably worsened, her ex, Jack, who was marrying Katie Peretti, came rushing to her side. Unable to resist the reconnection, Carly neglected to tell Jack one minor detail: She’d already learned she wasn’t dying, after all! She convinced Jack to take her away to their special place, Montana, and even to make love to her “one last time.” A heartbroken Jack asked to marry her again. Her conscience finally got to her on their wedding day and she spilled the truth — while her sister, Rosanna, spilled that Carly had known about her condition for weeks. Sure, Carly would live, but the remarriage died then and there.

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