Single Mom Diagnosed with Cancer 3 Months After Giving Birth (Exclusive)

For years, Emily Hausman felt like she was just waiting for life to happen. The Utah native had mapped it all out: a dream job, a partner, marriage and then motherhood. But after moving to New York City in May 2005 to pursue a career in magazine journalism, life seemed to slip by. Her 30s arrived and passed, and the milestones she had imagined never materialized.

Her doctor’s simple question jolted her into action in April 2024: “If you really want to have a baby, why don’t you just try?” Hausman recalls. “And I thought, you know what? I do. I really want to be a mom. So I just went for it.”

Armed with frozen eggs, a donor and determination, she embarked on the path to motherhood — a journey that proved far from ordinary. She vividly remembers sneaking into a bathroom at a friend’s wedding to give herself an IVF shot, hoping no one would walk in. “I hadn’t really told anyone except one of my friends,” she adds, laughing at the memory.

When she finally became pregnant in September 2024, the joy was quickly tempered by complications.

Just after Thanksgiving 2024, a subchorionic hematoma sent her to the ER. At the same time, she had lost her job and was preparing to leave New York for Utah to be closer to family. Though the move provided support, it also brought emotional exhaustion.

“I was so focused on finding a new job and navigating life as a single mom by choice that I didn’t celebrate my pregnancy the way I wanted to,” she says. “I had a shower, but barely posted anything online. It wasn’t a secret, but it kind of felt like one. That’s my biggest regret.”

Eventually, Hausman moved home and continued the rest of her pregnancy alongside her family. Then, on May 20, Hausman welcomed her son, Ezekiel, via C-section.

Motherhood hit immediately. Nights were sleepless, and she spent hours just watching her baby, both awed and terrified. But the relief was short-lived. About three weeks postpartum, what seemed like a routine urinary tract infection escalated into a blood clot in her uterus, requiring an emergency dilation and curettage (D&C).

“Luckily, my doctor was on call and reassured me everything would be fine,” Hausman says.

After the surgery, her recovery was slow. A high fever kept her hospitalized for several days and forced her to stop breastfeeding earlier than planned. During this fragile period, she noticed something unusual: one of her breasts remained hard even after she had stopped nursing.

She mentioned it to her doctor, who recommended a mammogram, which then led to a biopsy. Though she had never considered the possibility, 3 months later the results confirmed the unthinkable: stage IV metastatic melanoma.

“I was in my bedroom when I saw it on MyChart,” she recalls. “I yelled for my mom. I said, ‘Mom, can you come here? I think I have cancer.’ She was shocked. We called the office, and the radiologist confirmed it: I did have melanoma. I was floored — I always thought you just get a mole removed and move on. Now I had an oncologist, and my life changed again.”

“It’s really crazy because, you know, my life the past nine months has been like a series of unfortunate events,” she says.

The diagnosis was staggering. Already caring for a newborn, Hausman had to navigate the healthcare system and quickly meet an oncologist, who confirmed that the cancer had spread to her breast, nearby lymph nodes and possibly her pancreas.

According to the Melanoma Research Alliance, stage IV melanoma is the most advanced form of the disease, occurring when it spreads beyond the original site and lymph nodes to distant organs.Treatment is aggressive, relying on immunotherapy rather than chemotherapy, which is largely ineffective against melanoma.

Hausman began her first session on Sept. 4, starting a regimen of two different immunotherapies every three weeks for four rounds. After those initial treatments, a PET scan would determine the next steps.

While undergoing treatment, genetic testing revealed she carries a BRAF mutation, a gene that can drive uncontrolled cell growth but also opens the door to additional treatment options.

As her doctor explained, “It’s better to have the mutation than not — it gives us more lines of defense. But even then, it’s not a cure. It’s more about reaching deep remission, where you hopefully won’t see another episode, but you have to keep managing it.”

Amid the grueling medical challenges, Hausman discovered an unexpected outlet: TikTok. With only about 50 followers, she initially shared her journey as a private diary. “I just wanted a place to vent,” she says.

But her first video — where she opened up about her pregnancy and cancer diagnosis — quickly went viral, racking up over 8 million views. Friends, former coworkers, and strangers from across the globe reached out with messages of encouragement and support. Inspired, she launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover a few months of insurance, setting an initial goal of $8,000.

Since then, Hausman has built a community of nearly 150,000 TikTok followers, and her GoFundMe has grown to nearly $100,000. Support poured in from unexpected corners.

“Let’s keep supporting this new mom. Be her digital village and hope this content can financially help a little,” one user wrote.

“Survivor here. You’ve got this babe. Sending all the LOVE!!! 😍 Zeke is PRECIOUS,” another added.

“You made it to me, a small village in the UK! I have donated, and also sending positive thoughts,” said a third.

“TikTok has given me a community, support, and so many strangers showing up in ways I never imagined,” Hausman says.

Yet her support network extends far beyond social media. Her parents, sister and best friend Leia — whose own children are grown — have been a lifeline, especially through the sleepless nights of caring for a newborn while undergoing treatment.

“They still help me at night while I’m going through cancer treatment, because sleep is pretty essential to everything that’s going on,” Hausman explains. “My parents have rallied a network of friends, and everyone loves Zeke so much.”

“Even friends I haven’t seen in years have reconnected, and it really brought a lot of people back into my life that I’m so fortunate to have,” she adds.

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But even amid the uncertainty of treatment and the challenges of new motherhood, Ezekiel is a reminder of life’s resilience — a daily reason to keep fighting, to keep hoping and to cherish the small, precious moments that make everything worthwhile.

Looking ahead, Hausman draws her strength from her son. Spirited, joyful and endlessly engaging, he is a chunky, rolly-polly baby whose laughter and babbles fill her days with light. “Seeing his face every morning keeps me going,” she says. “He’s such a joy, not just to me, but to so many people.”