A cancer diagnosis is flooring for any individual. In January 2023, Maria Menounos was in the process of building her family when she received the news that she had stage II pancreatic cancer following a full-body MRI. The following month, she and husband Kevin Undergaro announced that they were expecting a daughter via a surrogate that coming May.

Menounos had already recovered from a procedure to remove a noncancerous tumor from her brain in 2017, the same year she and Undergaro married. After overcoming so much, Menounos, 46, is fully basking in motherhood. She connected with The Healthy by Reader’s Digest in partnership with Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) for Mastercard’s 2024 campaign to empower those impacted by cancer. Mastercard’s campaign extends their longstanding commitment to the cause through a $5 million donation.

This interview was edited for length.

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Maria Menounos Speaks At Fran Drescher Cancer Schmancer Health SummitCorine Solberg/Getty Images

The Healthy by Reader’s Digest: Maria, you have journeyed through so much in your experience with pancreatic cancer, which we know is a very emotional diagnosis to hear. What’s the most significant way it shifted your perspective?

Maria Menounos: I make every decision based on what I would regret if I got a terrible diagnosis tomorrow. Every decision is based on that now. So, is this trip worth it? Is this project worth it? And basically, is any of this worth it to be away from my daughter? Would I be happy that I did this if I got a diagnosis tomorrow? And that’s why I’ve been spending so much time with her and soaking in every second—I don’t know what’s around the corner, and I’ve seen what’s been around the corner, and it’s been scary. I just base every decision on if I was going to be diagnosed tomorrow, would I regret this action, this behavior, this choice.

I’m thinking about how I spend my time and money. I was always such a squirrel, storing money away. It’s great because it allows me to be with my daughter as much as I want now. Before, I would save and struggle. Now, if I got a diagnosis tomorrow, I’d regret that I didn’t fly myself or my dad first class. The money is for us to enjoy it now, and that’s it. It’s not about the materials; it’s about enjoying what you’ve worked hard for and not always being so stringent. I’m not about materials, but I’m about the joy, experiences and freedom that comes with it.

The Healthy: What is it about coming out on the other side of cancer that compels us to be available to others who later find themselves going through something similar?

Maria Menounos: For me, I think, and for all of us, it’s probably when you’ve been in a hopeless situation; when you hear Stage 4, it feels pretty hopeless. It feels horrible. It feels scary. You know what that feeling is like, and you don’t want anyone to sit in that feeling longer than they need to. You want to be able to spread hope. When my mom was diagnosed with Stage 4 brain cancer, we were terrified. When I got my brain tumor diagnosis, I said, “At least it’s not cancer.” My mom’s was cancer, and I wanted to help as many people through their journey as possible. While I was recovering in bed from brain surgery, I was helping run point on other people’s brain tumors because I felt like I had these shortcuts. Now, I have this kind of “dummy’s guide to brain tumors” that I can share with people. People were reaching out, and I helped them through their journeys. And for me, if I know something that’s going to make someone’s life easier or be able to share something to cut their journey short so they can have a chance to survive, I’m going to share it. Rather than spending six months trying to learn what I learned, let’s save those six months. Let me share it with you. My full-time secret job for karma points is helping people go through these journeys to shortcut them through it.

I’ve been an ambassador for Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) for a long time, and it’s an incredible organization that’s helped so many of us throughout these years. When I’ve had emergency moments for myself, my family, or my friends, my first call has always been to Lisa Paulsen, SU2C co-founder. She always answers the call and helps get us the best of the best. I am so grateful and love doing anything I can to help advance their work.

Mastercard is helping advance their work, donating over $70 million to fund SU2C and creating this incredible campaign with their moving new ad and “I Stand Up For” digital filter. People can use the filter on social media to write the first name of the person they stand up for and share it on their profiles. It’s a really powerful mission, and unfortunately, cancer touches everybody, so we all have to come together to help.

The Healthy: What’s it like to come through an experience like that and then pivot to such an era for celebration, like welcoming a new baby?

Maria Menounos: There are gifts in all of this, no matter what, no matter how hard things are. I know now that there’s such an amazing gift on the other side and new directions we should go in. For me, when we had Athena, it was unbelievable pure joy, and it was the greatest gift of my life. We know how precious life is and when we see it come to us like that, that’s precious.

Every second, my brain is thinking, “Thank you, God, for this baby.” It’s like a mantra now all day, every day. And, “Thank you for my health.” I’m thanking St. Nektarios, the saint of healing, in my nightly prayers for healing me so I can be here with my baby.

Maria Menounos Is Seen Drinking A CoffeeMEGA/Getty Images

The Healthy: What’s one self-care ritual you refuse to skip?

Maria Menounos: Oh, I have too many. I recently was at a dinner with these exceptional women. And one of the things we had to do was go around the table and say if we could have 45 minutes to ourselves, what would we do? And people said things like, “Oh, I would get a massage,” or “I would take that Pilates class.” By the time it got to me, my heart was sad because we should never be living in a world where 45 minutes is a luxury for ourselves. We should be giving ourselves 45 minutes. Self-care should be a part of your everyday life and how you manage your time and fit it in. Initially, as you’re focused on your career, you’re not thinking like that. Time seems so difficult, but we should be giving ourselves that.

My non-negotiable every morning is sunrise, sun rebound and then grounding. If I can, some sauna or red light or a workout. I have a mental menu of all the self-care things. I can’t do them all every day, but trust me, I squeeze in as much as I can. There’s still my diabetes and other health stuff, so I want to accelerate my full healing. I’m focused on it like an Olympian is focused on the Olympics. My routine is a little more extreme than the average person’s, but I think everyone should have the time they need for self-care every day, not once a week but every day. You need that self-care because now you’re saying that you matter. Don’t wait for a diagnosis to be able to matter.

Say I deserve to be able to go take a Pilates class, or I deserve to get a massage or I deserve to take time to meditate. You don’t wait for that. You matter now, and now is what will prevent the later issues.