Olivia Munn Opens Up About ‘Terrifying’ Breast Cancer Diagnosis – ‘Cancer Doesn’t Care Who You Are’

It’s been one year since the Hollywood star Olivia Munn was diagnosed with breast cancer, and the 43 year-old is now opening up about her experience after undergoing four surgeries, a double mastectomy and medically induced menopause.

Munn’s Cancer Diagnosis

When Munn was diagnosed last year, her first thoughts went to her and her partner John Mulaney’s son Malcolm, who was only a year old at the time.

“I was not someone who obsessed over death or was afraid of it in any way,” she told People Magazine, but “having a little baby at home made everything much more terrifying.”

Munn was just two weeks away from heading off to Germany to film a science fiction movie when she was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer after tests revealed she had luminal B—a fast-moving, aggressive cancer—in both breasts.

“You realize cancer doesn’t care who you are; it doesn’t care if you have a baby or if you don’t have time,” she lamented. “It comes at you, and you have no choice but to face it head-on.”

Munn was even more shocked by her diagnosis because she’d just had her annual mammogram three months prior and it came back clear, and she had recently tested negative for the BRCA cancer gene.

“I was walking around thinking that I had no breast cancer,” she remembered. “I did all the tests that I knew about.” 

Related: ‘Baywatch’ Star Nicole Eggert, 52, Shaves Her Head As She Battles ‘Very Rare’ Form Of Breast Cancer

Munn’s Surgeries

Within a month of her diagnsois, Munn underwent a lymph node dissection, a nipple delay procedure (a surgical procedure which spares the nipples) and a double mastectomy.

“I had amazing doctors, but it was still a negotiation sometimes on what we are doing,” she said, adding that she was told that she didn’t have do do the nipple delay procedure if she didn’t want to. “But I’m glad I did. I want to give myself the best shot of keeping the parts of me that I can keep.”

Munn’s doctors recommended a double mastectomy to her to ensure that all the cancer was removed.

“There’s so much information, and you’re making these huge decisions for the rest of your life,” said Munn. “I really tried to be prepared, but the truth is that nothing could prepare me for what I would feel like, what it would look like and how I would handle it emotionally. It was a lot tougher than I expected.” 

Munn later had reconstructive surgery, and she decided to go a different route than many other women do.

“I know a lot of women want to go bigger, but [I said] go smaller,” she recalled. “It’s so important to say what you want out loud—and don’t stop. Even as the anesthesia was making its way into my body, the last thing I said was ‘Please go smaller.’ ”

Related: Katie Couric Reveals How Her Battle With Breast Cancer Is Going

Munn Wants To Help Others

Now that her breast cancer battle is behind her, Munn wants to raise awareness to help other women.

“I feel grateful that I was given the opportunity to fight,” said Munn, adding that her son has kept her feeling positive throughout this experience.

“When I’m with him, it’s the only time my brain doesn’t think about being sick,” she concluded. “I’m just so happy with him. And it puts a lot of stuff into perspective. Because if my body changes, I’m still his mom. If I have hot flashes, I’m still his mom. If I lose my hair, I’m still his mom. That’s really what matters the most to me. I get to be here for him.”

Check out this full interview in the video below.

God bless Munn for using her story to help others. This serves as a reminder to stay vigilant when it comes to getting checked for various types of cancers, as it may just save your life!