Woman Who Noticed Vision Loss When She Was 18 Weeks Pregnant Says Devastating Diagnosis ‘Caught Us Totally Off-guard’ (Exclusive)

NEED TO KNOW

• Hannah Hearn was diagnosed with ocular melanoma after noticing vision changes when she was 18 weeks pregnant

• She welcomed daughter Austen Joy before follow-up scans revealed tumors on her liver

• Despite the diagnosis, she is making the most of motherhood

When Hannah Hearn was 18 weeks pregnant, she noticed loss of peripheral vision in her right eye, but “didn’t really pay attention to it”, thinking she was “perfectly healthy”.

“I Googled it and thought it was an ocular migraine,” the 30-year-old told PEOPLE, noting that her symptoms began to worsen, with her vision becoming more “distorted,” as if she were “looking through a party mirror.”

“My sister, who is a nurse, was urging me to do an exam,” she adds. “I went to the eye doctor, had a dilated eye exam and they found a 7 millimeter tumor in my eye called choroidal melanoma, which totally caught us off guard.”

“We didn’t expect that at all,” she adds.

Before she knew it, Hearn was diagnosed with choroidal melanoma, a rare type of ocular melanoma.

In December 2025, she began treatment at the Cleveland Clinic when she was 20 weeks pregnant and received plaque brachytherapy, a radiation therapy that targets eye cancers but also involves surgery.

“They put the plaque in, you have a week of quarantine, then you have surgery to have it removed a week later,” she explains. “I did all this in December. We got the biopsy results which, unfortunately, the genetic makeup of my tumor was positive for PRAME class 2. Unfortunately, a very aggressive form, which shows 60-70% chance of metastases within two years of diagnosis.”

Hearn gave birth to her daughter, Austen Joy, in April 2026, at 37 weeks, then underwent further scans a few weeks later.

“We had clear scans, which was awesome. Then we had a perfect three and a half months with our newborn,” Hearn recalled, adding that she “loved every minute of postpartum.”

“I’m incredibly lucky to say this. I had a truly incredible experience with the newborn phase. Being diagnosed with cancer during pregnancy has made me appreciate every second I get to spend with my daughter,” she shares. “We actually had a scare during a pregnancy scan, and they thought there were metastases in March, when I was about 30 weeks pregnant. I was very limited in the scans they could do because I was pregnant. They couldn’t do a contrast MRI on me, so they relied on ultrasounds to monitor my liver.”

She continues, “During pregnancy, it’s common for cysts to develop in places like the liver, and that’s what happened, and my oncologist initially thought it was cancerous, so we already had a minute to prepare for the worst-case scenario. We were so grateful when we got the clear ultrasound when I was two weeks postpartum, that it was so happy; it was like a three-month bonus.”

Hearn and her husband joke that it was “cancer maternity leave.”

“We really enjoyed every day together as a family. We made the most of it. We went out really early. We had a baby in April, so we were lucky enough to have good weather to be outside every day and enjoy every second we were together,” Hearn recalled.

In July 2026, however, she returned for follow-up exams, and they found more tumors on her liver, officially making her cancer stage 4.

“Then I started treatment in August, and I’ve been doing it ever since, and I’m going to continue it indefinitely now,” she says. “I do dual immunotherapy and liver-directed chemotherapy called PHP. It’s a really cool combination of treatments. It’s very aggressive, but it shows very promising results.”

“We’re really hopeful. I’ve passed my second cycle and I’m going back for my next round of immunotherapy,” adds Hearn. “I’m continuing this diet until I come back for scans and we can see where we are at the end of October.”

Hearn will opt for PHP every six weeks and receive immunotherapy between PHP cycles.

In the midst of it all, Hearn is navigating new motherhood.

“Our daughter is 6 months old, so we’re experiencing childhood with our daughter, but also the intense treatment plan and the uncertain future…PHP, even though it’s an incredible treatment, it’s also very physically intensive,” she shares. “I’m fortunate to have a wonderful oncology team that I trust at Massachusetts General Hospital, but it’s a very intense treatment with many side effects.”

“It has been recognized that my role as a mother is improving so that I can be there for her in the long term. I have a truly incredible support system between my family, my husband’s family and my husband. I have an incredible team of people who shower my daughter with love and make sure that she is taken care of, so that I can focus on getting better,” shares Hearn.

In the meantime, Hearn and her husband moved to New England to be closer to both of their families. Hearn says her mother was with her throughout the final treatment and says “it’s been amazing” to have her support.

“We loved every minute of exploring Massachusetts together. We’ve never been there before, so we make each day as fun as possible. I firmly believe that having a high quality of life is important to any cancer treatment plan. I really try to make sure that, as much as possible, I get out and enjoy life,” Hearn said.

Read the original article on People