Olivia Munn is opening up about the support she’s received from her boyfriend John Mulaney and their son Malcolm amid her cancer battle.
The “X-Men: Apocalypse” actress shared in March that she had been diagnosed in April 2023 with an “aggressive, fast moving cancer” known as Luminal B in both breasts, detailing a nearly yearlong private battle with the disease in an emotional Instagram post.
In a new interview with People to mark the one-year anniversary of her diagnosis, Munn said when she received the news, her mind immediately went to her son, who was 1 at the time and is now 2.
“I was not someone who obsessed over death or was afraid of it in any way,” she said, explaining that “having a little baby at home made everything much more terrifying.”
“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 continued. “It comes at you, and you have no choice but to face it head-on.”
That’s exactly what Munn did, undergoing a double mastectomy, subsequent reconstructive surgery and hormone suppression therapy, which led to medically induced menopause. The actress’ treatment thus far hasn’t included any chemotherapy or radiation.
Mulaney and Malcolm have been by her side through it all.
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“It would’ve felt like climbing an iceberg without him,” she said of Mulaney. “I don’t think he had a moment to himself, between being an incredibly hands-on father and going to and from the hospital — taking Malcolm to the park, putting him to nap, driving to Cedars-Sinai, hanging out with me, going home, putting Malcolm to bed, coming back to me.”
“And he did it all happily,” she added.
Munn said Malcolm has been a source of joy throughout her health battle.
“When I’m with him, it’s the only time my brain doesn’t think about being sick,” she said of her toddler. “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 there for him.”
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