Actress Olivia Munn shared her cancer diagnosis and health struggle in a long message on Instagram on Wednesday.
In February 2023, Munn received a negative result on a genetic test that checks for 90 different cancer genes, including the well-known BCRA gene. However, she was diagnosed with breast cancer two months after a normal mammogram in the winter.
Munn wrote that in the past ten months, she had four surgeries and spent numerous days in bed. She also gained a better understanding of cancer, cancer treatment, and hormones. She mentioned that she only cried twice, feeling like there was no time to cry. Her focus narrowed, and she set aside any emotions that would interfere with her ability to think clearly.
Munn expressed that she typically allowed people to see her when she had energy and could leave the house, keeping her diagnosis, recovery, pain medicine, and hospital gowns private. She explained that she needed to tackle the toughest parts before sharing her experience.
Munn stated that she wouldn't have detected the cancer until her next mammogram a year later, but her OBGYN, Dr. Thais Alibadi, calculated her breast cancer risk assessment score, which considers factors such as age, family history of breast cancer, and the timing of her first child's birth.
According to Alibadi, individuals aged 30 and older with a score higher than 20% require annual mammograms and breast MRIs.
Munn said that her lifetime risk had been determined to be 37%, leading to an MRI, ultrasound, and biopsy. The biopsy revealed that she had Luminal B cancer in both breasts, which is an aggressive and fast-moving type of cancer.
30 days later, Munn underwent a double mastectomy.
Munn shared that she went from feeling completely fine one day to waking up in the hospital after a 10-hour surgery the next. She acknowledged her luck in having caught the cancer early enough to have options, expressing the same wish for other women who may face this in the future.
Munn expressed gratitude towards her boyfriend John Mulaney, her friends who have had or connected her to others with breast cancer, and the medical professionals at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles and Saint John's Hospital in Santa Monica, including several named doctors.
The caption of her post expressed her hope that sharing her experience would provide comfort, inspiration, and support to others on their own journeys.
