Sharing Your Diagnosis Is a Personal Decision
- TV host Maria Menounos, 46, shared her cancer diagnosis with her best friend, who also revealed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer at the same time, making for an emotional reveal for the best friends.
- Menounos was diagnosed with stage 2 pancreatic cancer, which left her thinking she was a “goner” at the time of her diagnosis.
- Pancreatic cancer is known as the “silent” disease because symptoms rarely show up until it has advanced and metastasized (spread) to other parts of the body when more aggressive treatment is needed.
- Fortunately, since Menounos’ cancer was found in its early stages, she was able to get the tumor, her spleen, part of her pancreas, 17 lymph nodes, and a large fibroid removed via surgery.
- Some people battling a disease or cancer are open to sharing their experiences as much as they can, while others prefer to keep it to themselves. SurvivorNet experts say both approaches and everything in between are valid.
When TV host Maria Menounos, 46, learned she had cancer, she just bawled her eyes out alongside her husband. However, there was someone else near and dear with whom she shared her emotional diagnosis: her best friend, who ironically had just been diagnosed with breast cancer.
“My best friend’s in the room. We both broke the news that we had cancer to each other at the same time. Neither of us knew we had cancer,” Menounos shared on the “Off the Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe” podcast.
“We got on the phone, she’s like, ‘Can we talk tonight?’…and I go, ‘Yeah, I have something I need to share too,” Menounos said.
“She calls up she’s like, ‘So I have breast cancer,’ and so I let her like, say everything—we’ve been best friends since we were 13—and so she gives me her news, and then I wait, and then I go, ‘Well not to trump you but I got pancreas cancer, and I might not be around much longer,” the popular TV host continued.
Now, years later, after undergoing treatment, both Menounos and her friend are cancer survivors.
Helping Patients Cope with a Cancer Diagnosis
Sharing Something So Intimate Like a Cancer Diagnosis Deserves Care
Some people battling a disease or cancer are open to sharing their experiences as much as they can, while others prefer to keep it to themselves or close loved ones. SurvivorNet experts say both approaches and everything in between, are valid.
WATCH: Sharing a Diagnosis
“Patients who have just been diagnosed with cancer sometimes wonder how they are going to handle the diagnosis of the cancer in social situations,” psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik explains.
Questions like “How much information should they share and with whom should they share the information?” are things Plutchik says patients take into consideration.
Dr. Plutchik explains, “There is no one right way to handle this diagnosis. People should do what feels right to them.”
A cancer journey can last months to years, which means cancer warriors may be experiencing a lot of uncertainty until they fully understand where their health stands. This uncertainty can influence when a cancer patient is ready to share their diagnosis, Dr. Plutchik further explained.
Dr. Plutchik stresses that those close to a person going through cancer should be respectful of their wishes when it comes to disclosing their diagnosis and seeking support.
Menounos’ Resilient Journey
She is known for her infectious, vibrant personality onscreen, hosting “Extra” and “E! News.” Off-screen, the TV journalist has dealt with a series of health challenges.
In June 2017, she underwent a seven-hour brain surgery on her 39th birthday to remove a golf-ball-sized non-cancerous tumor, she explained to NBC’s “Today.”
Then, in 2021, Menounos’ mom passed away from brain cancer.
In November 2022, Menounos started experiencing abdominal pain and diarrhea. An MRI and biopsy revealed the TV host had a stage 2 pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (NETs or islet cell tumor).
“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 previously told People Magazine.
WATCH: Pancreatic cancer and early detection.
Menounos was lucky to catch the disease early. Pancreatic cancer, which begins in the pancreas, is known as the “silent disease.”
Symptoms of the disease rarely show up until it has advanced and metastasized (spread) to other parts of the body.
“Unfortunately, pancreas cancer does not get diagnosed until later stages because it remains asymptomatic until it gets to the later stages,” Dr. Syed Ahmad of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine said to WLWT News.
Additionally, the Cleveland Clinic explains that early-stage pancreatic cancer tumors typically don’t appear on imaging scans.
When pancreatic cancer is diagnosed in later stages, which it most often is, it becomes more challenging to treat.
“I need people to know there are places they can go to catch things early,” Menounos exclusively told People. “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 underwent surgery to have the tumor, her spleen, part of her pancreas, 17 lymph nodes, and a large fibroid removed this past February. Additionally, her doctor and surgeon said she would not need to undergo chemotherapy or other forms of treatment.
Menounos, who needs to get yearly scans for the next five years, is now incredibly “grateful” for being able to overcome cancer, adding, “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.”
Questions for Your Doctor
If you are facing a pancreatic cancer diagnosis, you may have questions but are unsure how to get the answers you need. SurvivorNet suggests asking your doctor the following to kickstart your journey to more solid answers.
- What type of pancreatic cancer do I have?
- Has my cancer spread beyond my pancreas? If so, where has it spread, and what is the stage of the disease?
- What is my prognosis?
- What are my treatment options?
- What side effects should I expect after undergoing treatment?
- Will insurance cover my recommended treatment?
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