Maria Menounos Shares Inspirational Journey On Her Battle With Brain Cancer

It is always such a sad news when celebrities announce something about them not being healthy and are suffering from an illness or a disease. This simply shows that they are indeed just like us normal people. It truly is devastating for the friends and family but of course for the fans as well. In fact, earlier this year, E News star Maria Menounos was actually diagnosed and she said in an interview with People magazine that she experiences some of it is not so obvious signs such as a headache and dizziness. Her mother suffered from brain cancer which is why she actually predicted that it has definitely something to do with it and when she took some tests, and it was revealed that she there was, in fact, a benign tumor that is as big as a golf ball.

MENOUNOS BRAIN TUMOR JOURNEY

The TV-Host discovered that she has indeed a golf-sized tumor on her brain after doing an MRI test and it was called a meningioma brain tumor that is actually revealed to be pushing onto her facial nerves. She also mentioned how it started with her having a hard time reading the teleprompter while working and that she always feels lightheaded. Neurosurgeon Dr. Keith L. Black, who is also her mother’s doctor, was the one who actually encouraged her to get a surgery right away which actually happened on the 8th of June. In fact, this is actually her 39th birthday and apparently, the doctor was indeed sure that it was benign and the only way to find out is to have this surgery.

After what seemed to be the longest seven-hours of her life, her surgeon has successfully removed about 99 percent of the tumor which was revealed to be benign. The 39-year-old host had to stay in the hospital for two months in order to get better and she is now back home still healing. Her mother, Litsa, is, unfortunately, suffering from a stage 4 brain cancer but it is stable.

E! NEWS HOST’S POST-BRAIN SURGERY

In an interview, with People magazine, she also mentioned how grateful she was for her fiancé, Keven Undergago, who has been there all along to support and care for her. She also mentioned how she definitely hasn’t fully recovered yet since she is still feeling numbness on her face, then again, despite all that, she is getting stronger day by day and is sure to get back to her normal life soon.

Menounos also admitted how she was scared of how this will affect her job since it will involve her facial nerves which definitely stressed her out even further.

HOW STRESS AFFECTED HER BATTLE

Everyone can get stressed from time to time but chronic stress is definitely something different. Menounos admitted that she has been battling with chronic stress for quite some time now and it got worse when she found out about her brain tumor. However, she said in an interview that people should always find a way to de-stress themselves and they are the only ones who can find it. For her, meditation is one of the best ways to de-stress herself wherein she lets her mind and body relax and just breathe.

Menounos also admitted to having been stressed out over the fact that she might actually have a brain tumor which is why she had to postpone her MRI a couple of times since she thought she was just out of her mind, this is what she told Kit Hoover of Access Hollywood when she was asked how she took the news. She also referred to the industry as toxic because she has been working in it for years and the glitz and the glam is just a facade but she still feels blessed despite everything. Unfortunately, his 17-year-old dog has a brain tumor as well but she already expected it.

WHAT IS MENINGIOMA

The 39-year-old television host is of course not the only one who’s suffering from meningioma. According to experts, it is actually a kind of brain tumor that is incredibly difficult to find because of its slow growth that it could even last for years without the person who has it knowing. Its symptoms are also not always the same since it would always depend on what part of the brain it is growing. The causes are also unclear but researchers believe that it is most likely genetics.