Maria Menounos secretly survived pancreatic cancer ‘with excruciating abdominal pain’ while expecting a child

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Maria Menounos on overcoming being diagnosed with a brain tumor

Maria Menounos sat down with Brian Kilmeade to discuss her career and being diagnosed with a brain tumor while she was taking care of her mother, who was battling Stage 4 brain cancer, and being the correspondent for The Beverly Hills Dog Show.

Maria Menounos is opening up about her battle with pancreatic cancer as she’s expecting her first child via surrogate.

Menounos, 44, revealed she was diagnosed with Stage 2 pancreatic cancer in January. 

The former E! News correspondent said she underwent a successful surgery, with doctors removing a 3.9-cm tumor.

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"I need people to know there are places they can go to catch things early," she said during an interview with People.

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"You can't let fear get in the way. I had that moment where I thought I was a goner, but I'm OK because I caught this early enough."

Menounos continued to detail her tumultuous last 12 months, noting, "This whole year has been trauma, stress, crisis.

"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."

Maria Menounos, 44, revealed she suffered from Stage 2 pancreatic cancer. (Getty Images)

The doctors also previously told her she had type 1 diabetes, which runs in her family.

Once Menounos thought she was starting to heal, she returned to the hospital "with excruciating abdominal pain coupled with diarrhea."

After taking several tests and X-rays with no results, she said the pain got worse to the point she felt "like someone was tearing my insides out."

Determined to find answers, Menounos had a whole-body MRI. She found out she had "a 3.9-cm mass on her pancreas, with a subsequent biopsy confirming that it was a Stage 2 pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor, a form of cancer," according to the media outlet.

Menounos and her husband Keven Undergaro are preparing to welcome a baby girl via surrogate this summer. (Getty Images)

"I'm like, 'How in the freaking world can I have a brain tumor and pancreatic cancer?' All I could think was that I have a baby coming," she said.

Amid the traumatizing health scare, Menounos and her husband Keven Undergaro are preparing to welcome a baby girl via surrogate this summer.

Undergaro admitted he feared he was going to lose his wife to pancreatic cancer.

"When the doctors told me that this was what killed Steve Jobs, I froze. But, after a good cry, I realized this is Maria," he exclusively told Fox News Digital.

Menounos was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2017.  (Getty Images)

"She's taken a lot of hits but keeps moving forward. If anyone can overcome this, she can. And Maria being Maria did.

"Hoping we can now help others do the same."

The "Heal Squad" podcast host added that she had an incredible support system while she went through multiple procedures.

"Keven slept in the hospital every night," Menounos said. "And my dad was the best caretaker."

Menounos had a tumor removed, part of her spleen, a large fibroid and 17 lymph nodes during her surgery. (Getty Images)

In addition to having a tumor removed, part of Menounos’ spleen, a large fibroid and 17 lymph nodes were taken out.

"It was super painful. I couldn't move or lift myself up," she told People.

MARIA MENOUNOS OPENS UP ABOUT HER BRAIN TUMOR, SAYS HEALTH ORDEAL WAS 'A BLESSING' 

The actress’s pancreatic cancer comes after doctors discovered a golf ball-size brain tumor in 2017. She had surgery to remove the ultimately benign growth. 

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Menounos poses with her parents Costas and Litsa Menounos at SiriusXM Studios on March 26, 2014. Litsa died of brain cancer in 2021. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images)

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During her health battle, Menounos was also caring for her mother Litsa, who was struggling with stage 4 brain cancer. Litsa died in 2021.

While Menounos experienced a series of extreme health conditions, she’s always looked on the bright side and feels blessed her baby girl is on the way.

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"I'm so grateful and so lucky. 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.," she said.