Share this @internewscast.com

Maria Menounos predicted there was something wrong with her pancreas during an episode of her podcast months before her pancreatic cancer diagnosis.

The 45-year-old television personality was diagnosed with a rare type of pancreatic cancer, a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor, in January and had it removed the following month.

After she went public with her cancer journey, “I had a viewer reach out to me and say, you predicted this last April (2022) on your show. I went back … and I did,” Menounos told “TODAY” co-anchor Hoda Kotb during a new episode of Kotb’s podcast, “Making Space.”

Leading up to her diagnosis, Menounos said she had sensed something was wrong for many months and discussed it on her own podcast, “Heal Squad.”

“For at least a year and a half or so, I looked like I swallowed a basketball,” she recalled to Kotb. “I’ve been on fitness covers my whole career, flat washboard abs. Never had that. What’s going on?”

Menounos said she was tested for celiac disease but got no answers.

“In March 2022, I had an endoscopy and colonoscopy, trying to get to the root of what’s happening. … (They) didn’t find the source. That was it,” said Menounos. “I go, wait guys, the investigation doesn’t stop. We’re still trying to figure out what’s happening.”

“I kept taking pictures of (my bloating) because I was trying to eliminate things from (my) diet to see if there was a difference,” she continued. “I said, something’s wrong, and I’m going to keep investigating until I find it.”

The next month, April 2022, the “Heal Squad” episode that the viewer pointed out aired. It was focused on how to better tune into your body, and Menounos shared with listeners that she was struck by the idea that her pancreas was the source of the problem.

“(I said), ‘I think something’s wrong with my pancreas,” which was followed by “a whole discussion about the pancreas,” she told Kotb about the episode. “So random. And that was two months before I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.”

Menounos said she was in disbelief when she learned she had diabetes in June 2022. “First thing I (said) is, ‘I don’t have this.’ … At 43 years old or whatever … there’s no reason for me to get Type 1 diabetes.” (Research shows new onset of diabetes, especially in patients over 50, can be a sign of pancreatic cancer.)

In the fall of 2022, Menounos’ symptoms worsened significantly.

“I started having these weird abdominal pains that were super strong. I was on a plane and I thought I was going to die,” she told Kotb, adding that she chalked it up to a gluten sensitivity from a farro salad she was eating at the time.

In November 2022, the excruciating abdominal pains came back, this time coupled with diarrhea, which lasted for a month, Menounos previously told TODAY.com. “I can’t lay down, I can’t sit up — I go to the hospital and they do a CT scan,” she said.

In addition to a CT scan, Menounos got stool and blood tests, all of which had “unremarkable” results. “They said everything’s fine,” but the abdominal pain persisted, said Menounos.

Finally, in December 2022, Menounos got a full-body MRI, which revealed a mass on her pancreas. A biopsy confirmed it was a stage 2 pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor — a rare and less aggressive type of pancreatic cancer.

Menounos said she thought she was a “goner” upon hearing her diagnosis, but that she was successfully treated with surgery. In addition to the tumor, doctors removed part of her pancreas, her spleen, a fibroid and 17 lymph nodes.

The new mom told Kotb that she is officially cancer-free. In June, Menounos and her husband Keven Undergaro welcomed their first child together via surrogate, a baby girl named Athena.

The most common type of pancreatic cancer, adenocarcinoma, usually doesn’t have symptoms in early stages, but they may include abdominal pain and jaundice, back pain, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, dark urine, light-colored stools, and itchy skin, per the National Cancer Institute.

November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month — to help spread awareness, Menounos teamed up with PanCAN to star in a public service announcement about the importance of early detection.

“I really encourage anybody who’s having any consistent pain or symptoms like diarrhea, bloating, gas or constipation to look deeper,” Menounos previously told TODAY.com. “A lot of people just want to shush their bodies and go back to work and go back to life and pretend it’s not happening. I’ve been there.”

Menounos wants others to listen to their bodies and advocate for their health, too. “I have learned that we have to be the CEO of our health. We have to use our own internal guidance, we have to do our own homework, we have to push,” she told Kotb.

“You can’t just listen to somebody else tell you what’s happening in your body,” she added. “If the pain persists … you have to keep fighting.”

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Bill to slash California gas prices by more than $1 killed in deadlocked vote

California Gas Price Relief Stalls: Bill to Cut Over $1 Dies in Tied Vote

An ambitious initiative designed to suspend various gas taxes and fees to…
Exclusive—Sen. Rick Scott: Google Must Answer ‘Dangerous’ AI Revelations in ‘Code Red’; ‘Nobody Should Trust Them’

Sen. Rick Scott Demands Accountability from Google Over Alarming AI Practices: Calls for ‘Code Red’ Action

Senator Rick Scott of Florida has expressed concern following an incident where…
Hero police officers storm inferno to save 5 passengers from fireball crash

Brave Police Officers Rescue 5 Passengers from Fiery Crash in Heroic Act

In a dramatic and courageous rescue, four police officers in Michigan sustained…
Here's who's really leading Iran with Supreme Leader MIA and top leaders killed

Leadership Dynamics in Iran: Navigating a Power Shift Amidst the Supreme Leader’s Absence and Leadership Losses

In a mere seventeen days, Iran witnessed the brief tenure of its…
LA teachers union poised for massive strike impacting 400,000 students

Impending LA Teachers Union Strike Threatens Education for 400,000 Students: What You Need to Know

On Wednesday, educators in Los Angeles are anticipated to reveal the date…
University of Alabama student James Gracey disappears in Barcelona after visiting friends studying abroad

University of Alabama Student James Gracey Reported Missing in Barcelona After Visiting Abroad

A 20-year-old student from the University of Alabama, hailing from the Chicago…
ICE arrests illegal immigrant hit-and-run suspect in death of veteran Texas deputy who died helping others

ICE Detains Suspect in Fatal Hit-and-Run of Texas Deputy: Community Mourns Hero’s Sacrifice

Exclusive to Fox: Fox News has obtained information about the arrest of…
23 arrested in alleged illegal immigrant smuggling plot off California coast

Authorities Detain 23 Suspects in Alleged Human Smuggling Operation off California Coast

This past weekend, border officials apprehended 23 individuals in an unsuccessful smuggling…
Bodycam captures suspect’s desperate river escape as officers launch paddleboard pursuit

Dramatic River Chase: Suspect Attempts Escape with Officers in Paddleboard Pursuit

In a unique twist to a routine encounter, two law enforcement officers…
FCC boss Brendan Carr tells Pod Force One that Trump will 'rebalance' the media – and urges broadcasters to air 'pro-America' programs

FCC’s Brendan Carr on Trump’s Media Strategy: A Call for ‘Pro-America’ Broadcasting Revolution

The Trump administration is striving to “rebalance” the media landscape by urging…
Multiple suspects are possible in Nancy Guthrie's abduction

Key Witnesses Report Masked Intruder at Nancy Guthrie’s Residence Weeks Prior to Mysterious Abduction

Just three weeks before the unsettling disappearance of Nancy Guthrie from her…
Coward who beat his baby girl to death moans about handcuffs being too tight

Man Convicted in Daughter’s Tragic Death Complains About Tight Handcuffs

A British father, Sean Jefferson, was caught on video complaining about his…