Maria Menounos' Potential Death Sentence Made Her Think Her Husband Would Have to Raise Their Baby Alone

• Maria Menounos had several life-threatening conditions.
• She lost her mother to a deadly disease and has a chronic condition that runs in her family.
• Menounos welcomed her only child via surrogate and feared she would die before meeting her.

Maria Menounos is a well-known entertainment journalist and television presenter who has endured grief and several health issues in the past few years. She is "grateful" for overcoming the hardships after thinking she would not live long enough to see her child. She has hosted various media shows in the world of entertainment.

The Massachusetts native has hosted "Extra TV," "E! News," "Entertainment Tonight," "Conversations with Maria Menounos," and was a TV correspondent for "Today" and "Access Hollywood." In addition to her work portfolio, Menounos is also an actress and a producer.

She started acting in 2002 as a reporter in an episode of "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" alongside Melissa Joan Hart, Caroline Rhea, and others. Menounos has since had roles in many movies and series, including the 2005 "Fantastic Four," as a nurse alongside Ioan Gruffudd, Michael Chiklis, Chris Evans, and Jessica Alba, with her most recent role as Abigale in the 2022 movie "The Holiday Dating Guide."

Aside from work, Menounos is a wife and a mom. She is married to writer and film producer Keven Undergaro, whom she wed on December 31, 2017. In January 2014, she reminisced about the couple's wedding day on Instagram, sharing a photo from their big day and wrote:

"NYE then and now… 6 years ago we were getting married in the middle of Time Square, officiated by @iamsteveharveytv."

Menounos divulged that she and her husband celebrated the New Year on the couch with their only daughter, Athena. "Our celebration looked different, but I wouldn't trade this for anything else," said the showbiz star.

Despite being grateful for her family, Menounos and her loved ones have endured difficulties recently. In 2017, the star was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor but was treated for it. Just when she put that behind her, she was diagnosed with stage 2 pancreatic cancer in January 2023. Luckily for her, it was an early detection.

The following month, she underwent surgery to remove a 3.9 cm tumor, and the operation was a success. Months later, in May 2023, Menounos shared in an interview that she wanted to encourage other people to seek medical advice so they could catch such tumors early.

"You can't let fear get in the way. I had that moment where I thought I was a goner — but I'm okay," said Menounos. However, her health woes were far from over. That same year, she started to feel unwell and was diagnosed with another condition. At first, she began suffering from severe leg cramps in June 2022. "I'd scream out loud, I was inconsolable," she recalled.

She went to the hospital and was told she had type 1 diabetes, which runs in her family. Menounos was prescribed insulin and went on a strict diet. She carefully monitored her glucose levels and started to get better.

Still, a month later, Menounos, who starred in "One Tree Hill," alongside Sofia Bush, Michael Chad Murray, James Van Der Beek, Joe Manganiello, and Rick Fox, was back at the hospital again.

At the time, she had been experiencing "excruciating abdominal pain coupled with diarrhea," Menounos explained. Initially, thorough tests and a CT scan failed to show anything was wrong with her, and doctors told her she was okay.

She revealed in an interview with Hoda Kotb that she took it upon herself to investigate what was wrong with her and asked everyone about what could be wrong. But several weeks later, the pain she experienced became more consistent and more painful.

Menounos said she felt as though "someone was tearing my insides out." This time, the businesswoman agreed to do a whole-body MRI, which revealed a mass on her pancreas.

She wondered how she could have a brain tumor and pancreatic cancer. Fortunately, because it was early detection, Menounos managed to remove the tumor along with part of her pancreas, a large fibroid, her spleen, and 17 lymph nodes.

Seeing that it was detected early, she did not require chemotherapy or additional treatment but only annual scans in the next five years. She later credited her mother, who died from brain cancer after being hospitalized because of COVID-19 in 2021, for alerting her to her health status.

Menounos revealed in an interview that her parent came to her through a medium, saying she was not paying attention to her health. She further expressed:

"I feel very lucky to be alive. My mom sent me a signal from the other side. I know she's actively protecting and taking care of me."

Menounos reflected on her health journey in an interview and said that when she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, her whole came crashing down:

"When you are met with a [potential] death sentence, everything changes."

Moreover, it was during a period when she and her husband were expecting their first child via surrogate after trying to conceive for many years. Menounos admitted that although she and her spouse are usually good in times of crisis, things were intense as they were both scared.

She questioned why God would bless her with a baby and then not allow her to live long enough to meet her. Menounos remembered telling her husband that if something were to happen to her before the birth, he would need to move back East to be close to her father so their child could get to know him, adding:

"We talked about all of it. We imagined the worst."

Thankfully, things never reached that point, and she is happy. Menounos expressed her gratitude in an August 2023 Instagram post, alongside a photo of her holding her infant daughter Athena.

She penned that motherhood is bliss and described her baby girl as an angel. She mentioned the rough journey she had been on with her parents' health and her own. "Right now, just that list makes me so grateful to be alive and to have thrived. To be here to enjoy this beautiful little girl," she captioned her post.

Menounos gushed over her husband and child more than four months later, sharing their first Holiday Christmas card with their two dogs. She said she is "grateful" for her good health and family.