‘Jersey Shore’ star Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi gives update months after cervical cancer diagnosis

Sr Digital Curator

Digital Curator

Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi gave a health update to fans over the weekend after being diagnosed with Stage 1 cervical cancer earlier this year.

Video above: Snooki reveals cancer diagnosis

Polizzi, who rocketed to fame during her time on MTV’s “Jersey Shore,” is now a 38-year-old mom of three children.

In a tearful update, Polizzi posted a video on Instagram on Saturday that documented her hysterectomy. She spoke from her hospital bed as she recovered.

A hysterectomy is a surgery that removes the uterus, and sometimes other female reproductive organs, according to the Cleveland Clinic. In Polizzi’s case, her cervix and parts of her vagina were also removed.

“Just to make sure we get everything,” she said in the video post, referring to the cancer.

She also showed that her parents went to the hospital that morning to support her while her husband, Jionni, cared for their children.

She shared vulnerable feelings at points in the video while talking about the surgery. Polizzi said while she’s “trying to stay in good spirits,” it’s “very scary.”

“A lot of us women deal with it, and no one really talks about it. So I’m here to give that platform for all of us ladies,” she said.

The hope is that she’ll be cancer-free after the surgery, she added.

Her cancer diagnosis

In February, Polizzi posted a video on TikTok revealing her cervical cancer diagnosis. At the time, she said she was about to attend a post-op appointment after having a cone biopsy, and then showed footage of her walking into a medical facility for that appointment.

“My results came back for my cone biopsy, you guys, and it came back Stage 1 cervical cancer called adenocarcinoma,” she said, later adding, “Obviously not the news that I was hoping for, but also not the worst news just because they caught it so early. Thank freaking God!”

Related video above: Be proactive when considering screening for cancer

According to the Cleveland Clinic, a cone biopsy, or conization, “is when surgeons remove a cone-shaped wedge of abnormal tissue from your cervix.”

The Cleveland Clinic website explains that the tissue is “sent to a lab to test for precancerous or cancerous cells. It’s often performed after an abnormal Pap test.”

The reality star urged her fans and followers to get routine screenings, saying, “I’m literally telling you guys to get your Pap smears done.”

“I’m 38 years old, and I’ve been struggling with abnormal Pap smears for three or four years now, and now look at me,” she said. “And instead of putting it off because I didn’t want to go, because I was hurt and scared, no, I just went and did it. And it was there, cancer is in there. And, it’s only Stage 1, and it’s curable. Well, if I do all the things right, it can be curable or gone.”

Related video above: Cervical cancer on the rise among millennial women

According to the Mayo Clinic, adenocarcinoma is “a type of cervical cancer that begins in the column-shaped gland cells that line the cervical canal.”