Alison Hall, Olivia Munn Courtesy of Alison Hall/Instagram; Cindy Ord/Getty Images
A journalist is worthy of an actress Olivia Munn to save her life.
Internal Edition’s Alison Hall shared an emotional post via Instagram on Wednesday, January 8, announcing that she was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and is preparing to undergo a mastectomy.
“Let me tell you the story of how Olivia Munn and the show I work on, Internal publicationplayed a role in saving my life,” Hall, 33, wrote in the emotional caption of the post. “Last spring, after @oliviamunn shared her story about her breast cancer journey, the producers at @insideedition assigned me to this story and sent me to a breast cancer doctor here in NYC to get tested, on camera. Inspired by Olivia, I took the breast cancer risk assessment test.”
According to Hall, her risk “was found to be high,” so the “wonderful doctors” at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City “encouraged me to begin an annual program of mammograms and MRIs.”
“I was prepared to do this for a long time, and I had no idea how quickly this story would change my life,” she continued. “In October, I had my first breast MRI and a week later just before I turned 33, I became one of the millions of women who heard the words ‘you have breast cancer.'”
Hall explained that doctors also told her that her cancer is a “stage zero,” meaning it “hasn’t spread.”
“I have an early form of malignancy called DCIS,” she added. According to Johns Hopkins, DCIS – or ductal carcinoma in situ – is a “noninvasive form of breast cancer that develops in the milk ducts of the breast.”
“As you can imagine, I’ve been on a rollercoaster ride of fear, anxiety, fear AND gratitude,” she continued in Wednesday’s post. “My husband reminds me that this is ‘the best bad news’ we could have received. For many reasons, including my family history of breast cancer and my history of breast abnormalities, I have decided not only to treat the current cancer head-on, but to dramatically reduce my risk of future breast cancer. I have chosen to undergo a double mastectomy with reconstruction next week.”
Munn, 44, revealed she was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2024.
“Surprisingly, I’ve only cried twice,” Munn wrote in a lengthy Instagram post detailing her diagnosis and subsequent treatment, which also included a double mastectomy. “I guess I didn’t feel like there was time to cry. My focus narrowed and I let go of any emotions I felt would interfere with my ability to stay clear,” she wrote at the time.
In her Wednesday Instagram post, Hall said she considers “this experience a gift,” adding that her diagnosis allows her to “do this for my future self, for my future children.”
“I have some of the best family, friends, dog, therapist, doctors and colleagues in the world who have shown up for me and offered more love than I could have imagined,” she added. “I believe in the power of storytelling. Olivia Munn sharing her story saved lives. It certainly played a role in saving me. I am sharing my story with the same hope.”
