An MTV reality show favorite just revealed her cancer diagnosis in an emotional social media post.
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Jersey Shore‘s Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi took to TikTok on Feb.20 to share that she has been diagnosed with cervical cancer.
The 38-year-old shared that a cone biopsy, a procedure to remove precancerous tissue from the cervix, revealed she has stage 1 cervical cancer, specifically adenocarcinoma.
“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!” Polizzi shared in the lengthy video.
Before her diagnosis, Polizzi explained she was “struggling with abnormal pap smears for three or four years now.”
“That’s why I’m literally telling you guys to get your pap smears done. I’m 38 years old … and now look at me,” the reality TV star cautioned her over 4 million TikTok followers. “And instead of just putting it off because I didn’t want to go and it hurt and I was scared, no, I just went and did it. And it was there, cancer is in there. But it’s only stage 1, and it’s curable.”
Polizzi first mentioned needing a colposcopy and biopsy in a January TikTok video.
Polizzi explained she has a PET scan scheduled to check for cancer in other parts of her body.
“A lot of women go through it silently without anyone to talk to, and they’re scared by themselves. And that was me until I decided to upload the video about what was happening with me,” she added.
Fans Show Their Support for Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi After She Reveals Cancer Diagnosis
Of course, fans of the reality TV star took to the comments to show their support.
“You’re so strong for sharing this. It really is such a great message for us ladies, but I’m sorry this is happening,” one top comment read. “Stage 4 cervical cancer survivor! Keep ur head up!” another fan added.
Meanwhile, Polizzi’s words inspired others to get preventative screenings.
“I’ve been avoiding a pap for years,but as a fellow adoptee with zero family medical history, I will definitely schedule one. Love you, Snooki!!” one onelooker wrote.
The American Cancer Society reports over 13,000 cervical cancer cases annually in the U.S. Thanks to screening and prevention, death rates have dropped by over half since the 1970s. HPV is the main cause.