Maria Menounos Reveals Secret Health Battle With Baby on the Way
Maria Menounos is opening up about the health woes she's been privately dealing with in recent months.
The TV personality and podcast host, 44, is currently expecting her first child with husband Keven Undergaro, a baby girl who is set to arrive via surrogate this summer.
But while planning for her new bundle of joy to arrive, Menounos has had a tumultuous past few months, telling PEOPLE this week that "this whole year has been trauma, stress, crisis."
While talking about the reason she decided not to go through with a baby shower for her little one on the way, Menounos shared, "There was a minute when we were planning something, and then it became too much. I thought, 'I just need to heal.'"
That's when she revealed that she quietly battled Stage 2 pancreatic cancer this year, after being diagnosed back in January. The Heal Squad podcast host underwent a successful surgery to remove a 3.9-cm tumor, and now she's sharing her story in the hopes of helping others.
"I need people to know there are places they can go to catch things early," she told the publication. "You can't let fear get in the way. I had that moment where I thought I was a goner—but I'm okay because I caught this early enough."
View the original article to see embedded media.
She then opened up about the harrowing experience of dealing with the diagnosis while planning for a baby, stating, "I was feeling so good, and then I got slapped in the face with a new diagnosis."
"I'd scream out loud; I was inconsolable," she added.
The recent health scare definitely isn't Menounos' first time dealing with a severe complication, as she was previously diagnosed with a benign brain tumor in 2017.
"I'm like, 'How in the freaking world can I have a brain tumor and pancreatic cancer?'" Menounos recalled while speaking to PEOPLE. "All I could think was that I have a baby coming."
View the original article to see embedded media.
Luckily, Menounos' cancer was detected early, and she was given a good prognosis, without a need for chemotherapy or additional treatment.
"I'm so grateful and so lucky," she gushed about her ability to remain in good health while she awaits her baby girl's arrival. "God granted me a miracle...I'm going to appreciate having her in my life so much more than I would have before this journey."