Kirsten Storms is off for an indefinite about of time from 'General Hospital'

SOAP OPERA DIGEST is reporting that Kirsten Storms is officially temporarily off from GENERAL HOSPITAL. Viewers should keep in mind that although Maxie Jones said goodbye to baby Louise this past week that episodes of the ABC soap are taped in advance. This means that Storms had already begun her leave of absence prior to her character leaving Port Charles. Maxie is headed to Texas where her mother Felicia is caring for an aging aunt.

This will be the fourth time that Kirsten Storms has taken time off from her role on the ABC soap. Once was to have a baby but the other three were health-related. Storms left GENERAL HOSPITAL in September of 2011 due to complications from endometrioses and was replaced by actress Jen Lily. She later disappeared from the ABC soap again and said she was dealing with stress that caused her to lose weight. Fans were worried and thought she was anorexic, on drugs, or had cancer.

She returned a year later in September of 2012 but left in 2014 for maternity leave after the birth of he daughter. In 2016 Kirsten said that her doctor requested she take some time off to relieve the stress that was causing her skin to break out. At that time she explained that she had been the breadwinner for her family since she was 14 and starring in the popular Zenon trilogy on DISNEY. Storms shared that from that time to portraying Belle Black on DAYS OF OUR LIVES and to playing Maxie on GENERAL HOSPITAL she felt the pressure of trying to earn money to take care of everyone.

In June of this year Storms announced on Instagram that she had undergone surgery because of a cyst that was growing on her brain. She assured her fans that it was not cancerous and said she would be taking some time off from GENERAL HOSPITAL to heal. During the past month as Kirsten has been recovering, her character Maxie was seen in Port Charles several times a week.

It may be difficult for some viewers to reconcile the time difference between when the actress first went on leave and when her character left town. GENERAL HOSPITAL returned to production after COVID on July 22, 2021, and the first new show aired on August 3. That is only 12 days but does not indicate a time frame for Kirsten Storms.

Everything will depend on how long she is required to remain at home recovering and when her character is scheduled to return to Port Charles. At this point, it has been about 7 weeks from Storm's initial announcement so viewers should look for her to return within a few weeks of the actress reporting she is back taping on GENERAL HOSPITAL

While viewers are waiting for Maxie to come home from Texas, they can enjoy scenes with Brooke Lynn and Valentin. Fans will be trying to figure out how the truth about Bailey being Louise will come to light. The entire Quartermaine clan along with Valentin have fallen in love with the little girl. BLQ now regrets her decision but does not know how to make things right. At the end of Friday's episode, Anna was about to demand answers from Finn and Jason had cornered Liz after overhearing part of her conversation with Dr, Finn.

This does not necessarily indicate that the truth about Peter will come to light because some viewers believe his body is no longer in the freezer. Once his death is confirmed then Maxie and BLQ will know that baby Louise is safe. Will Maxie still be in Texas when she learns the truth or will she already be back in Port Charles? However, this works out the issue then will be how Brooke Lynn and Maxie can explain their actions to others in Port Charles. There will be shock, confusion and heartbreak as this story unfolds so stay tuned. Best of luck to Kirsten Storms for a speedy recovery and returning to GENERAL HOSPITAL as Maxie to sort all of this drama out.