Jersey Shore star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi revealed she is “on the other side” of her battle with cervical cancer.
“As of right now, I am cancer-free. They got everything out,” Snooki, 38, told People on Friday, September 18, referring to her hysterectomy in July. “I’m definitely happy that I did it.”
Snooki was diagnosed with stage I cervical cancer in April, subsequently opting to have her uterus and cervix removed.
“I avoided getting my pap smear for a long time, and once I finally went to the doctors, I feel like it’s just been week after week of doing a procedure, then another procedure and then a hysterectomy,” she told the outlet. “It’s been a journey and a long road, but I’m happy that I’m on the other side of it and everything is going good.”
Less than two months post-op from her hysterectomy, the mom of three is still focused on her ongoing recovery.
“I’m trying to listen to my body and give my body grace and not go crazy. There’s days where I do too much and then I just feel exhausted and I start getting pains,” Snooki, who shares her kids with husband Jionni LaValle, noted on Friday. “But other than that, I’m finally starting to feel better. I feel like I’m almost getting back to myself.”
The MTV star is also aware of the potential chances of recurrence, which will be monitored via routine pap smears.
“Getting a cancer diagnosis is very terrifying and scary. So, I just want my body to be as healthy as it can be,” Snooki stated. “I feel like I’m eating better, working out, obviously staying on top of my appointments. I’m just not avoiding anything and just trying to be the best version of myself.”
Upon her diagnosis, Snooki admittedly feared the worst possible outcome.
“I called my mom, crying, like, ‘Schedule my funeral, this is what I want,’ like, being so dramatic,” she previously told Us in June. “I was hysterical for, like, three days, and then I was like, ‘You’re a bad bitch, you’re going to be fine, you tackle everything.’ And then I went to Short Hills [mall] and spent, like, thousands of dollars. Then, after that mental breakdown, I was like, ‘All right, let’s get this done.’”
After splurging on two Louis Vuitton handbags and a pair of Gucci shoes, Snooki felt ready to beat her cancer diagnosis with a large network of support behind her.
“Everybody’s there for me, even my neighbors,” she added to Us. “It was crazy support, and I feel like I died because everyone just showed so much love to me. Everyone’s there for me, and they’re wishing me well, offering prayers and wishing me a speedy recovery. I never got much positivity before, in comments on social media, because people can be so mean to us.”
