The actress shared the details of her journey in an Instagram post.
Olivia Munn shared a heartbreaking health update.
On Tuesday, the 43-year-old actress revealed that she privately battled breast cancer in 2023 and had a double mastectomy.
"I was diagnosed with breast cancer," she wrote on Instagram. "I hope by sharing this it will help others find comfort, inspiration and support on their own journey."
Munn's post lead with a selfie of her in a hospital bed wearing a purple gown. In the following slides, Munn was candid about her diagnosis, which she received in 2023.
"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," she wrote in a statement. "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. Two months later I was diagnosed with breast cancer."
The actress revealed that in the past 10 months, she has undergone a total of four surgeries, and has learned a lot about the disease and hormones.
"Surprisingly, I've only cried twice," she wrote. "I guess I haven't felt like there was time to cry. My focused narrowed and I tabled any emotions that I felt would interfere with my ability to stay clearheaded."
Munn admitted that she only allowed people to see her when she had "energy," noting she took many trips to the park with her and John Mulaney's son, Malcolm.
"I've kept the diagnosis and the worry and the recovery and the pain medicine and the paper gowns private," she said. "I needed to catch my breath and get through some of the hardest parts before sharing."
Munn also revealed that it may have been another year before her cancer was detected if it wasn't for her doctor doing an assessment of her breast cancer risk. After a biopsy, Munn shared that she had the mastectomy.
"Thirty days after that biopsy I had a double mastectomy," she wrote. "I went from feeling completely fine one day, to waking up in a hospital bed after a 10-hour surgery the next."
Munn ended her message with thanks. In one special note, she celebrated Mulaney for stepping up and taking care of their 2-year-old son.
"I'm so thankful to John for the nights he spent researching what every operation and medicine meant and what side effects and recovery I could expect," she wrote. "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."
In addition to thanking the medical professionals, including her oncologist, the doctor who did reconstruction surgeries and the nurses, Munn also thanked her friends and family for building a community of support.
"Thank you to the friends who've had breast cancer and the friends who connected me to friends who've had breast cancer for guiding me through some of my most uncertain and overwhelming moments."
In addition to the slides sharing her health update, Munn's post showed pictures of her undergoing treatments, and an emotional video of her crying while talking to a medical professional.
Munn's emotional post ended with a photo of her hospital bedside table, which had a framed picture of Mulaney and their smiling baby boy.
Munn's news comes days after she joined Mulaney -- who was a presenter -- on the carpet at 96th annual Academy Awards on Sunday. Following the big show, the pair showed some sweet PDA on the carpet of the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party.
RELATED CONTENT:
