'God Granted Me a Miracle'

DIAGNOSED WITH PANCREATIC CANCER IN JANUARY, THE TV STAR SHARES HER ORDEAL-AND HOW BECOMING A MOM MEANS 'SO MUCH MORE' NOW

- JANINE RUBENSTEIN

After trying for a child for years, Maria Menounos always thought that when the time came, she would throw herself into planning a festive baby shower. But although she and her husband, writer-producer Keven Undergaro, are eagerly anticipating the arrival of a baby girl via surrogate this summer, organizing a big party just didn’t feel like a priority. “This whole year has been trauma, stress, crisis,” says Menounos. “There was a minute when we were planning something, and then it became too much. I thought, ‘I just need to heal.’”

At this stage in her life, the former E! News correspondent and host of the Heal Squad daily digital show and podcast knows all too well the importance of listening to her body. For the first time, the 44-year-old star is opening up about her Stage 2 pancreatic cancer diagnosis in January. "When you're met with a potential death sentence, everything changes," says Menounos, who lives in Los Angeles. Now, three months after a successful surgery to remove the 3.9-cm. tumor, she's on a mission to encourage others to seek answers to their health problems before it's too late. "I need people to know there are places they can go to catch things early," she says. "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."