‘Overwhelming in the most beautiful way’: New Utah mom diagnosed with cancer speaks about support

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A new Utah mom was diagnosed with cancer only a couple months after having her first kid. She said the community support has been ‘overwhelming.’

Emily Hausman told ABC4 that she moved to Utah a couple months ago to be closer to family after losing her job while pregnant. Then, shortly after giving birth, she was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma.

Hausman recalled that it was really hard to be diagnosed only months after becoming a new mom, “It’s not great when you look it up, so it was just very overwhelming and just, you know, making sure that my kid’s going to be okay, that was the biggest thing for me.”

She reached out to her friend, Leia Bell, who helped set up a GoFundMe and get her story out.

Courtesy: Emily Hausman

Bell said, “We were really excited to find out that Emily was having a baby and I was like so excited…and then, just like crazy that just two months in and she got this diagnosis, which was completely devastating.”

“As her friend, I felt like it was my duty to set something like that up,” Bell added, “I think just her, just who she is shows through in everything she does…not only is her story crazy and sad and awful and shocking, but also she just has like an awesome personality that shows though it.”

Hausman also created a TikTok profile to share her story and said that the support has been “really overwhelming in the most beautiful way possible.”

Community Support

According to Hausman, since her diagnosis, people from all over the world have reached to share support, in addition to friends who she hasn’t talked to in years. Others who have cancer have also shared advice and stories with her.

“I tend to be the type of person who just, you know, I’ll tough it out. I’ll get it done, I’ll shoulder this myself,” Hausman said, “And by actually just like getting my story out there and asking for help has been such a huge relief, just so I can spend more time with my son.”

Bell added that she’s been able to see how people have come together.

“It’s been amazing just to see how many perfect strangers are willing to help someone else and it’s really heartwarming,” Bell said, “For me, [it] just restores your faith in humanity a bit that so many people care.”

How to show up

For individuals facing medical issues or other life-changing events, Hausman emphasized the importance of being able to advocate for oneself. She said, “Advocate for yourself, like if something doesn’t seem right, go to the doctor, check it out, because I never in a million years had those on my postpartum bingo card.”

She also mentioned how helpful it has been when others have showed up during her fight with cancer. For others going through similar things, Hausman advised, “I would say the biggest thing is that so many people offer to just like, ‘if you need anything, let me know’. I think that’s what most cancer patients do need.”

Bell also talked about how she has shown up for Hausman and what she feels can be the most beneficial. She said, “Most important is just to be willing to listen to everything they have to say and be there for the good and the bad. Being able to let them talk about it and share their feelings and no matter if they’re good or bad is important.”