Fearing for her family. Maria Menounos struggled to hold back tears as she revealed that both of her parents contracted the novel coronavirus “within a few hours” of each other.
On Monday, December 7, the 42-year-old journalist opened up about experiencing a difficult few weeks after taking some time off from hosting her “Better Together” podcast. Menounos initially flew out to Los Angeles after receiving an update about her mother, Litsa, who is currently fighting another tumor following her past battle with stage IV brain cancer.
“We got some not some not so great news on Monday, November 23, that my mom’s brain tumor was growing,” the Massachusetts native said on her podcast, noting that her husband, Keven Undergaro, joined her in California to help her ailing mother. “We land, and that’s when this all started. I’m just going to share that we’re in process right now, and we still need prayers. Long story short is that within a few hours, both of my parents were diagnosed with COVID.”
Menounos’ mom was “rushed” to a nearby hospital shortly before her father, Constantinos Menounos, tested positive for the virus.
“It was absolutely surreal, and at this moment, both of them are in separate hospitals here in Los Angeles,” she explained. “There are teams of doctors dealing with each patient and I’m on the phone clicking back and forth. … It’s been pretty insane.”
The television personality has had to stay strong throughout her mother’s recent health scares and through her own bout with benign brain cancer in 2017. As she tries to secure the best care for her parents, Maria has forced herself to put things into perspective.
“I’ve kept focusing on what my desired outcome and not what my fear was, and that helped me a lot. I think as it has extended and I’ve become more and more tired, you know, fear creeps back in,” she added through tears. “It has been an incredible challenge. You work so hard to keep your parents healthy and alive, I mean, at least I have. To see something like this happen — I mean, it was bad enough on Monday to hear that about my mom’s tumor. And then the pile of that … [it’s] a lot.”
Since March, the coronavirus pandemic has impacted the lives of millions across the globe. As the crisis rages on, stars like Tom Hanks, Khloé Kardashian and Trey Songz have battled the harsh disease. While watching her parents fall ill has been an emotional journey, Maria is doing what she can to not feel “helpless.”
“Grateful beyond to all the doctors, nurses and staff who are taking such incredible care of my parents. Grateful to friends and family who have fed us, prayed and sent love,” she wrote in an Instagram post on Monday. “Grateful to all of you, and my @bettertogetherwithmaria #healsquad for the prayers, healing energy and love you have been sending. I have felt it all and it has lifted me and my family in an incredibly challenging moment. We will get through this with faith, great care and love.”
