Maria Menounos has revealed her secret battle with pancreatic cancer as she and husband Keven Undergaro are expecting a baby.
The 44-year-old media personality – who recently showed off her fantastic figure in a white swimsuit – told People magazine on Wednesday that she had been battling stage 2 pancreatic cancer after being diagnosed in January.
The good news is that Menounos had successful surgery to remove a 3.9 centimeter tumor and he hopes sharing her story will encourage others to seek answers to their health concerns.
She explained, “I want people to know that there are places where they can catch things early.
“Don’t let fear get in the way. I had that moment where I thought I was a goner, but I’m fine because I caught this early enough.”
Opening: Maria Menounos (pictured in January 2020) has revealed her secret battle with pancreatic cancer as she and husband Keven Undergaro are expecting a baby
Earlier this year, she and her 55-year-old husband Undergaro revealed they were expecting a child via surrogate amid her battle with cancer.
She said, “This whole year has been trauma, stress, crisis.
“There was a moment when we planned something, and then it became too much. I thought, “I just need to heal.”‘
Last June, Menounos was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes — which runs in her family — after experiencing severe leg cramps.
However, she continued to feel pain until she agreed to have a full-body MRI that revealed a 3.9 cm. mass on her pancreas and a biopsy that showed it was a stage 2 pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor, which is a type of cancer.
Menounos said, “I’m like ‘How the hell can I have a brain tumor and pancreatic cancer? All I could think was a baby is on the way.’
Because she caught the cancer at an early stage, she underwent surgery to have it removed on February 16 and will not need chemotherapy or any treatment other than annual scans for the next five years.
She said, “I am so grateful and so happy. God gave me a miracle. I’m going to appreciate having her in my life so much more than I did before this trip.”
Tough times: Earlier this year, she and her 55-year-old husband Undergaro revealed they were expecting a child via surrogate amid her battle with cancer; they are pictured together in June 2018
The podcast host has been open about her health issues in recent years, as she had a brain tumor removed in 2017 while caring for her mother Litsa who had stage 4 brain cancer.
She was diagnosed with meningioma, a tumor of the meninges, the tissue that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.
However, it is classified as a brain tumor because it puts pressure on the cranial nerves. The tumor usually forms in the head and about 85 percent of cases are benign.
Because the tumors grow slowly, a patient with a meningioma can live for years before being noticed.
Meanwhile, her mother Litsa battled stage 4 brain cancer, specifically glioblastoma, since 2016 but sadly passed away in May 2021.
On Tuesday, Menounos paid tribute to her mother on the second anniversary of her death when she shared a beautiful photo of them with a lengthy caption that read: “
“For standing up to Papa, the strict Greek father, when he said no to everything. (laughs as emoji cries) Because you taught me how to cook. How selfless and courageous to be. Because you showed me how to face a brain tumor and smile all over.
“I thought the health journeys ended there, but then again you helped me through more. I feel you and I hear you. And if I miss your voice speaking to me, you speak to me through others. Loud. I love and miss you and am just so grateful to have you as a mother. I hope I can be 10% of what you were to my daughter. (red heart emoji)’
‘I love and miss you and am just so grateful to have you as a mother’: On Tuesday, Menounos paid tribute to her mother on the second anniversary of her death when she shared a sweet snap of the two with a long subtitles
Meanwhile, the couple announced on Maria’s podcast last week, Heal Squad x Maria Menounosthat they are expecting a girl.
‘We’re having a girl! We are very excited to announce that we have a baby girl on the way,’ Maria gushed.
“Little Gertrude,” her husband joked.
While Maria insisted they not name their daughter Gertrude, she did reveal that they had already decided on a name.
oh baby! Maria Menounos and husband Keven Undergaro are having a girl
“We’ve picked a name,” she said. “We’ve been thinking about names for years, because as you may know, this has been almost a 10-year journey for us, so we’ve been thinking about names forever and I think we’ve come up with the perfect one.” name.’
However, the name is not set in stone.
“I reserve the right to see her and make last minute decisions,” she added.
The couple also had a display of pink balloons and a matching elephant that she bought for her daughter at the studio.
Maria shared a video of their announcement on her Instagram, captioning it, “a girl!!!! We are overjoyed! We read baby books, work on the nursery and just prepare for this wonderful new addition to our lives. She is already so loved and we can’t wait to meet her. And her name isn’t Gertrude. Lol Any guesses on her name? Good suggestions?’
Maria and her husband announced their baby news in February and revealed that they were going to expand their family with the help of a surrogate.
They started IVF in 2012, but it didn’t last long, so they turned to surrogacy several years ago, and after a hiccup, they’re confident they’ll become parents this year.
“Just after a decade of trying everything, we are so thankful to the beautiful family for helping us conceive our baby,” she shared People in February. “Keven, my dad and I are all extremely excited to have this soul come into our lives. What a blessing.’
She also shared that her longtime boyfriend Kim Kardashian — who welcomed two kids via surrogate — helped her understand the process.
It is a girl! The couple also had a display of pink balloons and a matching elephant that she bought for her daughter at the studio
Good news: Maria and her husband announced their baby joy in February and revealed that they were going to expand their family with the help of a surrogate. Seen in 2018
The couple started thinking about surrogacy in 2018 after IVF didn’t work for them.
Maria then got advice from her Kardashian, who welcomed Chicago and Psalm through surrogates with her then-husband Kayne West.
Sister Khloe also used a surrogate to welcome a son with Tristan Thompson.
“I was thankful to have her to share and help me,” Menounos said of Kim, 42. “She was just so sweet and so wonderful and very patient with us,” the One Tree Hill star added.
After the surrogacy failed in 2021, Maria and Keven tried again, and they succeeded, she said.
10 years of work: In 2022 she said: ‘I definitely didn’t think it would take this long. It’s been years. We used different services, different people,” said the TV presenter. “It’s just been a really frustrating process.” Seen in 2018
Thanks Kim: The couple started thinking about surrogacy in 2018 and received advice from Kim Kardashian, who welcomed Chicago and Psalm through surrogate mothers. “I was thankful to have her to share and help me,” Menounos said. Kim seen with Maria in 2016
