Maria Menounos on missed symptoms of pancreatic cancer

Entertainment journalist Maria Menounos was diagnosed with stage 2 pancreatic cancer earlier this year and is now cancer-free. She joins TODAY to talk about her journey from diagnosis to recovery, her new mission to help others advocate for their own health, and how she's feeling now.

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[adrianagonzalez]

I agree Insurace companies should cover annual cancer scans/MRI’s once a year and more often for cancer history

[rocioguillen]

My mother died of biliary duct cancer which was at first diagnosed as pancreatic. However she spent months going to the doctors here in California and doctors kept dismissing her symptoms. We had to go to T.J Baja California to find out what was wrong. She advocated for herself but let's be real it's easier for people with money to survive this than the average person. But congratulations to her.

[m.usmankhan]

What I love about igrotum is that it not only targets cancer but also promotes overall well-being. Its a holistic approach to healing.

[jenniferwalker]

As someone with stage 4 ovarian cancer with basic insurance. Normal people do not get 2 hours with a doctor trying to figure out what’s wrong. Nonetheless what a miracle this story is

[lizzieadeseye]

I'm so happy for her! Rarely is pancreatic cancer found at such an early stage. The only thing that absolutely grieves my heart about this and so many other diseases is the fact that everyday people who don't have excess money or know people in high places will continue to die from a disease that we were all led to believe can't be caught early! This is proof that it actually can be caught early with the right scan at the right time. Many everyday people have had 'a feeling' that something was wrong but when the doctor sent them home they had no where else to turn. A full body scan can cost as much as 10K, but even lower end is a couple grand and not everyone can afford that.😢

[MightyMouse]

PSA: Maria does NOT have pancreatic cancer. She has Neuroendocrine cancer that happened to present in her pancreas. (Likewise with Aretha Franklin & Steve Jobs). They were all reported incorrectly, and then PCAN (Pancreatic Cancer Action Network) were only too happy to go public with Maria on this. It took the limelight away from neuroendocrine cancer (NETS) which desperately needs awareness and funding. It is irresponsible to say that Maria has beaten pancreatic cancer. Very important to know the difference as they have differing symptoms. Neuroendocrine is non-aggressive & people often live a long time with quality of life, whereas pancreatic cancer is very aggressive. The treatments are entirely different, requiring a team of specialists in the appropriate field.

[cherylb]

This woman is doing a great service sharing her experience.
This is very important to listen to, it can save your life.

[buggiesmama]

Yes you're absolutely correct Maria. But you also have the best team of doctors because you have the money to pay for the best team of doctors. It's truly as simple as that. The more poor people don't have access to that kind of care

[TheSometimesWhy]

With no snark whatsoever, what Ms, Menounos has detailed, as far as her medical care, is a practical impossibility for the vast number of suffering people who don't even have the most basic relationship with the broken health care system currently in place.

[showtimesynergy]

As someone who is continuously battling for her own health, it really is a struggle. Passed from specialist to specialist. One says "oh you have this" and the next says "oh, you don't have that" it's exhausting and expensive. I am so glad she got answers and that she fought for herself!

[coutureclown]

She would NOT feel blessed if not for the excellent insurance, her" platform", and hefty remuneration provided by her career in media. Such a stark contrast to the quality of care and aftercare available to the majority of Americans. She is a perfect example of what IS possible with excellent coverage and resources for high quality food, naturopaths, andcelective procedures.

[danielwebsta]

Come on! Man, that’s awesome! I’m so happy she won the cancer battle 2 different times! What a vigilant lady. Truly listens to her body

[jennifera]

God bless this woman for using her position to try and get the mri covered. Many love and blessings to her and her new family ❤🙏🏼

[artistjazz]

Lost My Aunt Last year to Pancreatic Cancer she was only 48 and the Drs Kept on saying her pain was imaginary and she must be an alcoholic and her "diet" was causing this (we saw what they wrote in her files after) she only drank once or twice a week and beer at that. She was Healthy as a horse and not overweight by any means- she was very active and had 0 issues before this. NONE. She never had anything even close to a health scare or any surgeries. They misdiagnosed her multiple times over the course of a year and by the time they "found" it she was stage 4 and she left 5 children and grandchildren, her brand new home she just moved into in less than 1 month... My Other Aunt on my husband's side same thing! they caught it at stage 4 and she started chemo only to waste away in 6 months she passed 1 month after my first aunt... They really don't care if you are a POC or a woman or someone they think is "poor" that's the experience my family had. THEY WILL ABSOLUTELY Write lies in your files!!! and those lies WILL influence other Drs reading those notes! Request your files and address them! That bias can be the difference that could save your life.

* Same thing with Drs Notes- Killed my Best friend who had HIV and because of the biases and lies they did not give him proper medical support" Yes Some Drs will LIE to cover themselves and save their butts. Some Play GOD and belive they are right in doing this. I hope the wonderful Drs rise to the top and these blights on Modern Medicine get exactly what they deserve.

[MsRedPontoon]

Our daughter had surgery in March to remove a benign cyst from her pancreas. She is going to sonography school and students were doing test sonograms on each other. Their instructor saw my daughters sonogram and the large cyst on her pancreas. My daughter had no symptoms of any type. The cyst was removed along with her spleen and surrounding lymph nodes. Her surgeon told her that the sonogram class saved her life. When these cyst start causing problems it is usually too late. Maria was very lucky. Our daughter is doing great and she was blessed with a great surgeon. Also, she works for a large online company in their distribution center. She had excellent insurance benefits - sonogram, 2 different types of MRIs, endoscopy and then the surgery. She works and goes to sonography school.

[Paper_and_Fabric]

Yes! A yearly MRI Scan does make sense and I pray for everyone who is facing an illness. ❤

[bre_me]

Glad she caught it early. Pancreatic cancer is very hard to catch early and is almost always caught too late, which is why it is the deadliest major cancer to be diagnosed with. We unfortunately caught my dad's pancreatic cancer too late. It was stage 4, and then we only had 10 months together. Last month was 4 years without my dad. I can't believe it.

[nv]

Thank you Maria for sharing your cancer diagnosis with such dignity and grace. No doubt, many people will be touched and encouraged by your kind and generous spirit.

[anitamatthews]

My brother received his pancreatic cancer diagnosis on his 50th birthday. We knew something bad was wrong when he turned as orange as a pumpkin at Halloween. I even teased him about using him with my fall decorations. He got all the treatments available from the cancer centers in our area. And God gave us a miracle of 5 years with him and then a small spot appeared. He volunteered to receive a treatment in a Little Rock hospital. They tried a treatment used in breast cancer and it destroyed his liver.
It's very important that you hold your loved ones up in prayer to the Lord and always have a positive attitude. It doesn't matter to God if your rich or poor. He can and will perform miracles in each and every one of us. God bless you Maria and you are so right in that God chose to work through you. I'm praying you have a long life with your baby.

[jessicadelgadob]

I pray you can get insurance coverage to prevent this! I lost my father to pancreatic cancer at the age of 17, he was 47. They didn't even tell him he had cancer. He found out too late! He went back to the doctor because he kept feeling worse and the doctor asks how his treatment was going and he said what treatment and that's how we found out... Some hospitals and doctors should not exist! Had they done their job right my father could have had a longer life. He passed within the year.