Celebrity News March 13, 2024
Olivia Munn Reveals Breast Cancer Diagnosis & Double Mastectomy
On Wednesday, Olivia Munn, 43, took to Instagram to share some important news about her health.
Munn revealed that she was diagnosed with breast cancer nearly a year ago.
She told her followers, “In the past ten months I have had four surgeries, so many days spent in bed I can’t even count and I have learned more about cancer, cancer treatment and hormones than I ever could have imagined.”
Despite her diagnosis, Munn noted that she had “tabled” her emotions, and “only cried twice.”
On her decision to keep her diagnosis private until now, Olivia explained, “I’ve kept the diagnosis private 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.”
“I wouldn’t have found my cancer for another year — at my next scheduled mammogram — except that my OBGYN, Dr. Thaïs Aliabadi, decided to calculate my Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Score,” Olivia emphasized. “The fact that she did saved my life. Dr. Aliabadi looked at factors like my age, familial breast cancer history, and the fact that I had my first child after the age of 30. She discovered my lifetime risk was at 37%. Because of that score I was sent to get an MRI, which led to an ultrasound, which then led to a biopsy. The biopsy showed I had Luminal B cancer in both breasts. Luminal B is an aggressive, fast moving cancer.”
Munn underwent a double mastectomy 30 days after having the biopsy.
She said, “I went from feeling completely fine one day, to waking up in a hospital bed after a 10-hour surgery the next.”
Calling herself “lucky,” Olivia pointed out, “We caught it with enough time that I had options. I want the same for any woman who might have to face this one day. Ask your doctor to calculate your Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Score. Dr. Aliabadi says that If the number is greater than 20%, you need annual mammograms and breast MRIs starting at age 30.”
Along with showing some appreciation to her friends and family for their love and support, she gave a shout-out to her beau John Mulaney. She shared, “I’m so thankful to John [Mulaney] 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.”
Just days before revealing the news, Olivia made an appearance at the 2024 Oscars.