Maria Menounos Defies the Odds and Beats Pancreatic Tumor: An Inspiring Tale of Resilience and Advocacy
Maria Menounos, the former E! correspondent, shared her terrifying experience with Hoda Kotb on May 4th episode, stating that after an MRI in January, her radiologist discovered a mass on her pancreas. The mass persisted through every image, leading her radiologist to suggest she go to the hospital immediately. Maria Menounos Defies
Menounos, expecting a baby girl via surrogate with her husband Keven Undergaro, feared the worst when she saw her radiologist’s reaction. The mass was later identified as a stage 2 pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor, measuring 3.9 cm.
“I remember waking up the next morning, and I hadn’t really cried,” Menounos shared on May 4th, “but I just started guttural crying because I’m like, ‘How could God finally bless me with a baby after ten years, and now I’m not gonna get to meet her?'”
Despite these fears, Menounos shifted her mindset and decided to take things step by step.
Menounos underwent surgery to remove the cancerous tumor, which included the tail of her pancreas, spleen, 17 lymph nodes, and a fibroid the size of a baby.
Today, she is cancer-free and hopes her experience can help others. Menounos had been experiencing excruciating pain for months before her diagnosis and had a benign brain tumor removed in 2017. She was also diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes last June.
Menounos shared that Today, “My mission is to help people listen to their bodies and learn how to listen to them. And I’m so grateful that God shifted me into this health space with my show and everything I do now because I want to tell everybody that you have to be the CEO of your health.
You cannot give that over to anybody. That job is yours. You know your body. You know what’s going on.”
She also reminded others to speak up and advocate for their health, even when a doctor initially thinks nothing is wrong. Menounos knew something was wrong and continued seeking answers until she was diagnosed.
Finally, Menounos shared her joy and gratitude at being able to hold her baby girl this summer. “That’s the best blessing of all,” she said.