Celebrities are increasingly expected to use their big social media platforms for good by advocating for important issues and providing educational resources for those in need.
The Newsroom actress Olivia Munn has made herself no exception, as she's openly shared her experience with being diagnosed and treated for breast cancer, including five major surgeries, a double mastectomy, and a SKIMS photoshoot that highlighted her double mastectomy scars.
To honor World Breast Cancer Research Day, Munn shared a particularly emotional and vulnerable Instagram post that featured her and her husband, John Mulaney, sitting on her hospital bed before she went into surgery for her double mastectomy. The two held hands, spoke quietly to each other, and touched foreheads.
Munn wrote in the caption of the post:
"This was May 2023 right before I was wheeled in for my double mastectomy, the first of five surgeries I would have in a determined battle to beat breast cancer."
"Today is #WorldBreastCancerResearchDay. My breast cancer and my mother’s breast cancer are both very aggressive, fast-moving cancers. And because of funding for breast cancer research, we both had a path to survival."
"Endocrine therapy was discovered to be effective only 20 years ago. It’s a hormone therapy that works to keep hormones from reaching cancer cells, which is a treatment plan I’m currently on. Because of funding for breast cancer research, there are treatment plans that give me and so many others hope."
"Funding is still desperately needed to help find cures, perfect the treatments, and most importantly, determine which patients need them."
You can see the Instagram post here:
Some fans had gone through a similar experience and found her words validating.
@oliviamunn/Instagram
@oliviamunn/Instagram
@oliviamunn/Instagram
@oliviamunn/Instagram
@oliviamunn/Instagram
Others simply admired Munn's strength and advocacy.
@oliviamunn/Instagram
@oliviamunn/Instagram
@oliviamunn/Instagram
@oliviamunn/Instagram
@oliviamunn/Instagram
Munn continues to advocate for breast cancer awareness, appropriate and regular testing, and increased cancer research.
Since her mother was also diagnosed with breast cancer, Munn has voiced the importance of getting tested early and often, and if what a doctor tells you does not match your experience in your own body, it's best to get a second opinion or to complete a Tyrer-Cuzick Risk Assessment online, which Munn keeps linked in her social media bio for easy access.