Maria Menounos Undergoes Brain Tumor Surgery, Steps Down From E! News
Nearly one year after Maria Menounos revealed that her mother Litsa Menounos was battling brain cancer, she's opening up about her own health scare.
The E! News anchor revealed that she had undergone a seven-hour surgery in order to remove a tumor the size of a golf ball from her brain. She was diagnosed with benign meningioma back in April after she was experiencing light-headedness, headaches, slurred speech, and difficulty reading the teleprompter on set. After undergoing an MRI, she was told that she had a brain tumor.
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“I didn’t cry. I actually laughed,” the 39-year-old revealed to People. “It’s so surreal and crazy and unbelievable that my mom has a brain tumor — and now I have one too?”
Dr. Keith L. Black, the same surgeon that took care of Maria's mother, performed her surgery on June 8 and he is sure he removed 99.9 percent of the tumor, but there is a six to seven percent chance that it could grow back.
"I’ll take those odds any day," Maria said.
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Shortly after revealing her health scare, Maria announced that she will be stepping down from her position at E! News in order to focus on her health.
"I am so grateful for the past three years at E!," she said in a statement obtained by E! News. "I had such an amazing time co-hosting with Jason Kennedy and working every day with the wonderful roster of talent on the show including producers, staff, and crew. It was such a special, good-hearted group and one I'll always consider family."
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Maria also took to Instagram to share a heartfelt thank you to her fans who showed her an outpouring of love and support and she reassured her followers that she is doing okay.
"It's been a crazy time here in our home. I want you all to know that I'm ok!" she captioned a selfie with her mom. "Seriously I'm recovering well and should be as good as new very very soon! Luckily I don't need any further treatments but I can't say the same about my mom. So please keep her in your prayers."