Maria Menounos Battled Pancreatic Cancer While Expecting 1st Baby

A harrowing scenario. Maria Menounos revealed that she secretly battled pancreatic most cancers earlier than saying that she’s anticipating her first youngster by way of surrogate.

The TV host, 44, was recognized with stage II pancreatic most cancers in January after experiencing extreme belly ache and diarrhea. “They stated, ‘All the things’s wonderful.’ However I saved having pains,” the previous pageant queen informed Individuals in an interview printed on Wednesday, Might 3. At one level, the ache was so acute that Menounos stated it felt “like somebody was tearing my insides out.”

After a whole-body MRI, the TV character’s medical doctors found a 3.9-cm mass on her pancreas and confirmed it was cancerous with a biopsy. In February, she underwent surgical procedure to take away the tumor together with a part of her pancreas, her spleen, 17 lymph nodes and a fibroid. “It was tremendous painful,” Menounos recalled. “I couldn’t transfer or elevate myself up.”

The Dancing With the Stars alum was recognized simply months after studying that she has kind 1 diabetes. After altering her weight loss program, taking insulin and monitoring her glucose ranges, Menounos was feeling like herself once more in October, however then her belly pains began.

Within the meantime, she and husband Keven Undergaro had been gearing up for the arrival of their first youngster by way of surrogate. The couple, who tied the knot in 2017, introduced in February that they’re anticipating a child this summer time.

“We had been going to go to Greece in the summertime. We’re having to maneuver that up as a result of we’re having a child,” the “Heal Squad” podcast host revealed throughout an look on Reside With Kelly and Ryan. “I needed to share it right here first since you guys are my household, you guys have been on the journey and I’m so grateful.”

Menounos and Undergaro, 55, have been making an attempt for years to have a baby. In 2016, the Massachusetts native revealed that her try and get pregnant by way of in vitro fertilization was unsuccessful.

“It’s been a very long time. We’ve accomplished every little thing — I imply, actually every little thing,” Menounos informed Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest in February. “They’ve tried to get me pregnant, that didn’t work. Kevin had a surgical procedure, that didn’t work. He’s hung me the other way up like a rooster, that didn’t work!”


Maria Menounos attends Quick X Trailer Launch on February 9, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
Stewart Cook dinner/Shutterstock

The previous Additional host has additionally battled unrelated well being points, together with a mind tumor that left her with extreme complications, blurry imaginative and prescient and slurred speech. In June 2017, medical doctors eliminated a golf-ball sized mass that was urgent on her trigeminal nerve, which gives sensation to the face.

“For a very long time, in all probability for 2 years earlier than, I used to be exhausted and I didn’t know why,” Menounos recalled in a Might 2018 interview with Immediately. “Everybody informed me it was as a result of I labored so laborious. By some means, it didn’t actually sit proper with me, however you don’t have any different rationalization for it — that’s what you sort of go together with.”

A February 2017 physician go to, nevertheless, confirmed that it wasn’t simply stress, and 4 months later, Menounos underwent surgical procedure that got here with a prolonged restoration course of. “It actually affected my stability quite a bit and I had quite a lot of problem with my eyes — I used to be seeing double and triple,” the previous E! Information anchor recalled. “I wanted a walker for a very long time for stability.”

Menounos inspired followers on the time to all the time search for solutions when something feels off. “Discover the suitable physician who’s going that will help you examine it correctly,” she stated. “Individuals get informed, ‘It’s nothing, you’re simply drained and confused’ or, ‘You’re being paranoid.’ I used to be fortunate to have a physician who immediately realized that we would have liked to take motion and take it severely.”

One yr earlier than the previous Immediately correspondent realized of her personal mind tumor, her mother, Litsa Menounos, was recognized with stage IV mind most cancers. Litsa died in Might 2021 after battling the illness fore greater than 4 years.