After some time away from the spotlight, actress Olivia Munn bravely revealed her ongoing battle against breast cancer.
On Wednesday morning the Hit-Monkey star posted on Instagram, sharing that last year she'd taken a genetic test that checked 90 cancer-associated genes. Although Munn tested negative for mutations in each gene, including BRCAs (genes linked to cancer in many women), two months later, she was diagnosed with breast cancer following a routine mammogram.
The actress immediately sought to learn more about her diagnosis, sharing in her Instagram post that she didn't feel like "there was time to cry."
“In the past ten months I have had four surgeries, so many days spent in bed I can’t even count and have learned more about cancer, cancer treatment and hormones than I ever could have imagined,” she recounted. “Surprisingly, I’ve only cried twice. I guess I haven’t felt like there was time to cry. My focus narrowed and I tabled any emotions that I felt would interfere with my ability to stay clear-headed.”
According to Munn's OBGYN Dr. Thais Aliabadi, the actress has a lifetime breast cancer risk of 37%. Dr. Aliabadi discovered Luminal B cancer in both of Munn's breasts following an MRI. According to the Cancer Center, Luminal B is a "molecular type of breast cancer" that can benefit from treatments like chemotherapy and hormone therapy.
"30 days after that biopsy I had a double mastectomy," Munn continued. "I went from feeling completely fine one day, to waking up in a hospital bed after a 10-hour surgery the next."
Munn went on to thank her support system, including her friends, family, and her partner, John Mulaney, with whom they share 2-year-old son Malcolm Hiệp.
"I'm so thankful to John for the nights he spent researching what every operation and medication meant and what side effects and recovery I could expect," Munn wrote. "For being there before I went into surgery and for being there when I woke up, always placing framed photos of our little boy Malcolm so it would be the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes."
Munn included photos from the hospital in her post, showing a glimpse into what the actress has been experiencing in the past 10 months. The photos include a framed picture of Mulany and their child on what appears to be Munn's hospital bed.
Despite the lifechanging diagnosis, Munn said she feels lucky to have caught it early.
“We caught it with enough time that I had options,” she wrote. “I want the same for any woman who might have to face this one day.”
