Olivia Munn is reflecting on life after being diagnosed with breast cancer, and the actress is using her experience to boost awareness. She recently shared more details about her journey, revealing there have been no warning signs before she was diagnosed. Now, she hopes her story will encourage others to get early screenings to potentially save their lives.
Olivia Munn Is Grateful To Be Alive
In an interview with Tracy Smith for CBS Sunday Morning, Munn released on March 29, the actress shared an update on her health and opened up about her breast cancer battle. Munn said she is doing “good” three years after being diagnosed.
The “X-Men: Apocalypse” actress said she feels grateful and “lucky” to be alive. “I don’t have a look at it like cancer has taken this stuff from me or it’s unfair that I even have to look over my shoulder for the remaining of my life,” she explained. Munn said she takes medication that may leave her feeling exhausted, but she embraces the sensation.
“I do know I’m lucky to be here and I’m so lucky that I’m on this chaos and I haven’t slept in just a few days and I’m exhausted. It’s a real privilege to only be alive on this planet,” she noted.
The Actress Had No Symptoms Before Getting The Diagnosis
On a routine mammogram and ultrasound in 2023, Munn’s results got here back negative for abnormalities. Nevertheless, her doctor urged her to take the Tyrer-Cuzick risk assessment test, a free online tool that evaluates an individual’s risk of developing breast cancer based on variables, including family history, breast density, and genetic markers.
A rating of 20% or higher is taken into account high risk, and Munn scored a 37.3%. Despite having no symptoms and getting a clean bill of health, she was told to get an MRI and a biopsy. The outcomes showed she had Luminal B cancer, an aggressive type of breast cancer that was present in each of her breasts.
“I made a decision to get a double mastectomy, and I also got an oophorectomy and a partial hysterectomy,” she told Smith, noting that after the procedures, her Tyrer-Cuzick test is now at 0%.
Olivia Munn Wanted To Keep Her Diagnosis Private At First
In an interview with Los Angeles Magazine published in early March, the actress revealed that she desired to deal together with her diagnosis privately at first, only telling her husband, comedian John Mulaney. Days later, nevertheless, she realized that Mulaney needed assist in supporting her through the cancer battle. “I couldn’t get the words out after I was saying it to my siblings and my mom, so he did that for me as well,” Munn said.
The actress shared her diagnosis publicly in March 2024, telling the world that she underwent several surgeries. She wrote, “I needed to catch my breath and get through among the hardest parts before sharing,” adding that she hopes sharing her story will “encourage and support” others who’re going through the identical experience.
How John Mulaney Helped Her Get Through Tough Times
Munn gushed about Mulaney, telling Smith, “There’s no higher person on this planet to me than my husband,” adding that he was proactive through the whole process and desired to be present during all her appointments together with her doctors.
“He’s got his notebook that he writes all of his ideas for jokes and anything that involves him through the day. You switch halfway through it and there’s all these notes about cancer and hormone therapy and every thing that you might imagine that I want to know,” she shared.
Munn said that having a partner with a humorousness “lightens every thing.”
Olivia Munn’s Mission For Breast Cancer Awareness
Since publicly sharing her journey, she’s worked on raising awareness for breast cancer. After sharing the assessment test she took, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) noted a 4,000% increase in visitors to the tool’s website.
In 2024, TIME named Munn as considered one of the 100 Most Influential People in Health. “I desired to help as many individuals as possible prevent their cancer from going to the subsequent level,” she said. The next yr, the publication also included Munn in its list of Women of the 12 months.
Currently, the actress is working with Senator Mark Kelly to advocate for making the Tyrer-Cuzick breast cancer risk assessment test part of ordinary medical care.