Former WWE Diva Maryse (Ouellet) Mizanin revealed on Instagram that she will be undergoing a total hysterectomy in a few weeks in order to remove some Serious Borderline Tumours in her ovaries, a very rare type of pre-cancer.
In her Instagram post, Mizanin credited her OB-GYN doctor Thais Aliabadi for diagnosing the condition after other doctors had failed.
“I had been suffering from severe abdominal distention and swelling to the point where I would look 6 months pregnant,” she wrote, noting that she was suffering severe gastro-intestinal issues and extreme fatigue. “For the past year, my symptoms would come in flare ups and it progressively got worse – it became chronic.”
“I saw countless doctors in different fields, but no diagnosis. No one could tell me what’s happening.”
After countless tests, the advice she received was to simply “… let it go – that it would figure itself out with time.”
Dr. Thais, she said, refused to take that kind of approach, and proposed exploratory surgery to identify the root causes behind Mizanin’s symptoms.
“She performed a Laparoscopy surgery for what we thought was potentially Endometriosis disease,” Mizanin wrote. “She found and removed 11 implants around my uterus, ovaries, and all connective tissues around the organs in my abdominal cavity. These were sent to pathology for testing.”
All 11 implants were found to have been pre-cancerous.
The surgery, which Mizanin said is scheduled in four weeks, will include removal of her uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix, omentum, and abdominal lymph nodes. The surgery is necessary, she said, to try to avoid the tumours becoming cancerous, in which case the normal survival rate is less than a year.
Mizanin’s post ended with a plea for all women to speak up about their health concerns and refuse to let things go when they are not feeling well.
“Women get so conditioned to believe that it is normal to suffer, most often in silence. Told to stop being a cry baby. That it must be hormonal imbalances, just anxiety or just all in your head. This cycle has to be broken! If you get dismissed by a doctor, go see a new one until you get the help you need! Advocate for yourself and keep pushing! Follow your instincts. Never ever underestimate your gut feelings!”
Responses from the wrestling community were swift and supportive.
Mercedes Moné, formerly WWE’s Sasha Banks, wrote “Love you! Sending you prayers”. Charlotte Flair posted “❤❤❤❤ WE love you woman!! You got this…..”
Other messages of support were posted from various women in the industry, including Gail Kim, Barbie Blank (formerly WWE’s Kelly Kelly), Brie Garcia (aka Brie Bella), former WWE Diva Eve Torres, and Bianca Belair (“🙏🏾❤️”) among others.
Mizanin – who joined WWE in 2007 after competing in the 2006 Diva Search competition – is married to WWE superstar The Miz with whom she has two daughters. A two-time Divas Champion, she most recently competed at the 2022 Royal Rumble where she and Miz lost a mixed tag team match to another real-life married couple, Edge and Beth Phoenix.
While she may have lost that battle, Mizanin is going into this challenge with determination and optimism.
“Im (sic) remaining positive and determined to beat this thing. There is only one option and it’s winning this battle! As a mom of two young daughters, I have too (sic).”
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