Eva Mendes says she’s in awe of the way her “incredible” mom handled her battle with cancer.
While speaking with Shop TODAY’s Adrianna Brach in an interview that aired March 26, the star praised her mother, Eva Perez Suarez, and explained how the cancer survivor has maintained a positive attitude despite the health challenges and personal losses she’s faced in recent years.
“She lost my brother, just a few years ago, to cancer. This woman is incredible,” Mendes said, referring to her brother Carlos Mendez, who died from cancer in 2016 at the age of 53.
Through the physical and emotional pain that comes along with a cancer diagnosis, Mendes said her mom is still extremely positive.
“She’s still funny as all hell,” she said.
While appearing on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna in 2022, Mendes gave a Mother’s Day shoutout to her mom, who she described as “a survivor in every way.”
“She’s not doing too well right now,” she said at the time.
In January 2024, Mendes shared a photo of her mother on Instagram and addressed her health struggles, calling her a “cancer survivor.”
“I wish this Barbie wasn’t so private then I’d be able to share everything she has survived — but the only thing she’ll let me share is that she is a cancer survivor. Like that’s not enough, I know. I see my strength in her eyes,” she captioned the post.
Her remission journey is still filled with follow-up doctor’s appointments, and Mendes told Shop TODAY she brings her mom to many of them.
“If I take her to the doctor’s office, which I take her often, and they ask her, like, ‘Oh, you know, have you had this removed or do you have this?’ she goes, ‘Listen, it’s easier if I tell you what I still have. Everything’s gone,’” she said.
Over the years, Mendes has posted many photos of herself with her mom on Instagram. In 2022, she shared a sweet selfie with her, calling her “the coolest of the cools” and “my hero.”
Mendes’ mom is also her muse on social media. She posts videos imitating her “Cuban mami,” imitating what she might say during a tour of her house.
“I feel like I see everything through my mom’s eyes, you know?” she said in a 2022 video.
“It’s a total compliment-complain, compliment-complain. She’s amazing at it and she’s always here with me,” she added.