Sheryl Crow's Pollyanna Brain Tumor Outlook Outrages Fans, Survivors

The tumor, known as a meningioma, was diagnosed months ago, Crow's publicist told CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Hey everyone - please don't worry about my 'brain tumor,' it's a non-cancerous growth. I know some folks can have problems with this kind of thing, but I want to assure everyone I'm OK, the Soak Up The Sun singer, 50, wrote on her Facebook page yesterday. I'm feeling very healthy and happy, and having a great time on the road playing with my new band. I'm busy working on my next record too, which 'm very excited about...and I'll be on The Tony Awards this Sunday. Really appreciate everyone's love and concern, I feel so blessed to have the support of all my fans, but I'm good - really! Love, Sheryl

The message elicited nearly 14,000 likes as of Wednesday morning and more than 1,500 fans gave the 50-year-old Sheryl Crow well wishes.

But many Facebook users told stories of their own experiences with benign brain tumors and cautioned that they can cause problems despite not being cancerous.

Your uninformed 'brain tumor' announcement has undone years of progress on awareness of Meningiomas, wrote user Carolyn Freeman Simerley Forshee. I have permanent damage...as do most of us who listened to the 'watch and wait' doctors. 

Sheryl, I have huge respect for you as an artist and for the way you have conquered breast cancer, but your remarks about a benign brain tumour being nothing to worry about have caused great distress to a lot of people whose so-called benign brain tumours have devastated their lives, wrote Facebook user and Sheryl Crow fan Fiona Curnow. I am glad you are living positively with it, but please remember that a lot of people do not have this option.

Meningioma survivor Joseph Fergen had some words of advice for the recently diagnosed Crow.

Find a doctor who you are comfortable with and who really has a lot of experience in the field. This is not a one-off occurrence. A lot of research has been done in the field, he wrote to Crow. Keep a journal of how you feel, doctors visits, people who contact you about the tumor, etc. I still have mine. I wish you the best of luck and look forward to hearing more of your music.

Meningiomas are usually benign and most often develop in women between the ages of 30 and 50, according to the Cancer Treatment Centers of America. Crow falls into the highest of that age range.

The tumors form around the meninges, or thin membranes located around the brain and spinal cord.

As some Sheryl Crow fans warned, benign meningiomas are not always symptom-free. Symptoms include seizures, headaches, nausea and vomiting, vision changes and behavior and cognitive changes, according to the National Brain Tumor Society.