Giuliana Rancic: 'Duke's Been My Salvation' After Breast Cancer
Giuliana Rancic, 39, was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2011 and like most women in her situation, coming to grips with a potentially fatal disease turned her world upside down.
Even as a well-known TV personality for E! News, it took the birth of her son Duke last August for her to really take her mind off the disease and treatment.
"I felt like it totally consumed me, it was my world and I couldn't imagine not thinking about it 100 times a day," she told ABC News on Friday. "Once I had the baby, I couldn't think about it 100 times a day. In many ways, Duke's been my salvation. I just don't have time to think about it. I just have to focus, stay positive and stay alive for my baby."
Rancic was in New York City promoting the Save Lids to Save Lives campaign for General Mills as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. She said she's known about the program for years and actually used to send lids in to help others going back to her high school days.
All supporters have to do is cut out the pink lids from 25 General Mills products and 10 cents will be donated to cancer research.
Read: Bill Rancic Says Son Duke Is 'Not Going to Be a Hollywood Kid'
In addition to her work with this program, it's been a big year for Rancic, who had to plan Duke's first birthday party last month and to the chagrin of her husband Bill, Rancic wanted to go all out for her little boy.
"Bill and I came together. I was like, 'I want to pitch you my idea for Duke's first birthday,'" she said. "So, I went through this whole elaborate thing with ponies and chickens and a mechanical bull for the adults. Bill said, 'My idea is birthday on a budget.' In the end, Bill let me have the one-year birthday."
Rancic said Duke has also started dancing and is close to walking by himself now.
"It looks like he's going to start walking any day now," she said. "Also, there's one song. It's like on his little Mickey Mouse toy, as soon as you play it, he's got his arms up and he's laughing, he loves it."
With all that's going on in her life, Rancic said she and Bill still spend time together every night just decompressing and unwinding once the baby is put to sleep.
Related: Giuliana Rancic Spills the Secret to a Happy Marriage
"I feel like Bill and I have date nights all the time," she said. "We don't add any pressure to our date night. It's not about a fancy restaurant or putting on heels, it's about carry-out and watching our favorite TV show."
She added that before she and Bill had their first child, they were debating between three or four kids.
"Then we had a kid and it is so hard," she said. "The sleep deprivation, trying to figure out how to be parents, it was a tough process. We were like, 'Maybe he'll be an only child.'"
All this changed when Duke turned 1 last month.
"We felt like we got it. I get why so many kids are two years apart," she added. "You need that first year. So, now we are starting to think about it more. The wheels are not quite in motion, but yeah, we'll do it and we'd like them two years apart. Now, we realize we definitely want another child."