“Jersey Shore” star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi declared she is cancer-free seven months after receiving a Stage 1 cervical cancer diagnosis.
“As of right now, I am cancer-free,” she told People Friday, adding that she feels like she’s “on the other side” following a successful hysterectomy in July.
“They got everything out. So I’m definitely happy that I did it.”
The reality star admitted she “avoided getting [a] pap smear for a long time” before she finally received the scary diagnosis.
“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. So 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.”
Although she is cancer-free, Polizzi said she’s still in the midst of her recovery and needs to take things slowly.
“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,” she shared. “But other than that, I’m finally starting to feel better. I feel like I’m almost getting back to myself.”
The Snooki Shop owner noted that her doctors told her that there’s a chance her cancer could return, and so she will need to continue to monitor it with routine pap smears every three months moving forward.
Her cancer journey completely changed the 38-year-old’s lifestyle and she said she has made adjustments in order to remain healthy.
“Getting a cancer diagnosis is very terrifying and scary. So, I just want my body to be as healthy as it can be.
“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.”
The MTV star went public with her diagnosis in February.
“Obviously not the news I was hoping for, but also not the worst news, just because they caught it so early. Thank freaking god,” she told her TikTok followers at the time.
In April, she revealed that the next course of action was to undergo a hysterectomy, which was “scary” to her.
“I’m not great with pain, so thinking about removing an organ is scary,” she told People about the forthcoming surgical removal of her uterus.
“That’s a part of being a woman and even though I’m done having kids, the thought of not being able to really upset me,” she confessed.
Polizzi shares kids Lorenzo Dominic, 13, Giovanna Marie, 11, and Angelo James, 6, with husband Jionni LaValle.
Throughout the entire journey, she continuously encouraged her followers to get pap smears because she had been “struggling with abnormal pap smears for about three or four years,” but wasn’t addressing the issue.
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