'Thought I was a goner': Maria Menounos battled cancer while expecting baby with Keven Undergaro via surrogacy
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: TV host Maria Menounos recently opened up about her secret pancreatic cancer diagnosis while she was awaiting the birth of a child with her husband Keven Undergaro. Last week, the couple announced on Menounos' podcast, 'Heal Squad x Maria Menounos,' that they are expecting a baby girl via surrogacy. But the TV host also talked about how she survived cancer while expecting a child.
“This whole year has been trauma, stress, crisis,” Menounos told People. “There was a minute when we were planning something, and then it became too much. I thought, ‘I just need to heal,’” she added. “I need people to know there are places they can go to catch things early,” Menounos said. “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,” she stated.
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Who is Keven Undergaro?
Undergaro is an executive producer, best known as the creator of the online broadcast network AfterBuzz TV. He is also a screenwriter and the man behind podcasts like Black Hollywood Live, The Popcorn Talk Network, and Book Circle Online. Undergaro was born on November 18, 1967, in Medford, Massachusetts. He graduated as a History major from Saint Anselm College and worked as a carnival worker on the east coast in the summer to pay for trips to Los Angeles, where he worked as a television writer for MTV’s ‘Singled Out’ in the winter.
He eventually became the head writer of the show before going bankrupt and homeless after trying to produce an independent film. Despite his unsuccessful attempt, Undergaro met Menounos on the set of the film, marking the beginning of their love story. Undergaro eventually started co-created and working as executive producer of the ABC series ‘#DanceBattle America.’ He produced documentaries like ‘The Elders’ and ‘Losing Lebron.’ He also served as the writer and director of the indie comedy 'Adventures of Serial Buddies' and produced the acclaimed Netflix hit 'This Isn't Funny.'
Undergaro also works as an executive producer for SiriusXM’s ‘Conversations with Maria’ and has been serving as the host and executive producer of ‘The Tomorrow Show with Keven Undergaro’ since 2016. The producer started dating Menounos in 1998 and proposed to her on ‘The Howard Stern Show’ in 2016. They tied the knot on December 31, 2017, and their wedding was officiated by Steve Harvey and broadcast live on Fox.
Maria Menounos on surviving pancreatic cancer
Menounos has dealt with lifelong health battles since being diagnosed and treated for a benign brain tumor back in 2017. At the time, she was also caring for her mother who had stage IV brain cancer. The latter passed away in 2021. Menounos was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, which runs in her family, in June 2022. "I was feeling so good, and then I got slapped in the face with a new diagnosis,” Menounos told People. “I'd scream out loud, I was inconsolable,” she shared revealing her severe leg cramps. After the diabetes diagnosis, Menounos has prescribed insulin. She also went on a strict diet and began monitoring her glucose levels, which improved dramatically.
“I was crushing it,” Menounos said. “I felt so good. What else could go wrong?” Unfortunately, a month later she was back in the hospital, “with excruciating abdominal pain coupled with diarrhea.” However, no diagnosis was made in a CT scan and extensive testing. “They said, ‘Everything's fine.’ But I kept having pains,” Menounos shared. She added that the pain was bad enough to make her feel “like someone was tearing my insides out.” The podcast host then did a whole-body MRI with a company called Prenuvo and was diagnosed with a 3.9 cm mass on her pancreas. A subsequent biopsy confirmed that she had a stage II pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor, a form of cancer.
“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,” Menounos revealed. However, the TV personality received a good prognosis due to the early stage and underwent surgery on February 16 to remove the tumor along with part of her pancreas, spleen, a large fibroid, and 17 lymph nodes. “It was super painful,” she recalled. “I couldn't move or lift myself up,” Menounos added.
‘Keven slept in the hospital every night’
Menounos revealed “Keven slept in the hospital every night” during her treatment process. “And my dad was the best caretaker,” she added. “I'm so grateful and so lucky,” Menounos said about her recovery and the arrival of her child. “I'm going to appreciate having her in my life so much more than I would have before this journey,” Menounos said.
The former presenter’s doctors, UCLA’s Dr Ryan Aronin, and UCLA surgeon Dr Timothy Donahue told People that Menounos is in good shape and does not require chemotherapy or additional treatment except for annual scans for the next five years.