Olivia Munn has revealed on social media that in early 2023, she had been diagnosed with breast cancer after a genetics test in February 2023.
The actress, 43, shared photos from her visits to the hospital over the past few months, in and out of surgeries, and included a lengthy statement about her experience.
"I was diagnosed with breast cancer," she simply penned on Instagram to her nearly three million followers. "I hope by sharing this it will help others find comfort, inspiration and support on their own journey."
In her statement, the Iron Man 2 star wrote: "In February of 2023, in an effort to be proactive about my health, I took a genetic test that checks you for 90 different cancer genes.
"I tested negative for all, including BRCA (the most well-known breast cancer gene). My sister Sara had just tested negative as well. We called each other and high-fived over the phone. That same winter I also had a normal mammogram."
She then revealed, however, that just two months later, she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. What followed was nearly a year of hospital visits and surgeries.
"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.
"Surprisingly, l'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."
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Olivia spoke more about why she kept the diagnosis private, citing a need to want people seeing her with "energy" and keeping those reserved for her loved ones, including her partner John Mulaney and their two-year-old son Malcolm.
"I've tended to let people see me when I have energy, when I can get dressed and get out of the house, when I can take my baby boy to the park," she continued. "I've kept the diagnosis and the worry and the recovery and the pain medicine and the paper gowns private. I needed to catch my breath and get through some of the hardest parts before sharing."
She explained that it was when her doctor decided to calculate her Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Score that it was found she had Luminal B cancer in both breasts early, instead of at a routine mammogram a year later.
"30 days after that biopsy I had a double mastectomy. I went from feeling completely fine one day, to waking up in a hospital bed after a 10-hour surgery the next. I'm lucky. We caught it with enough time that I had options."
She mentioned the support she'd received from her partner, who she attended the 96th Academy Awards with just this past Sunday. "I'm so thankful to my friends and family for loving me through this.
"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. For being there before I went into each surgery and 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."
She concluded with a message of gratitude for her friends, family, and the doctors who'd aided her along the way, and was inundated with a wave of support from famous friends and fans alike.
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