Wife Shares Update After Husband Is Diagnosed with Incurable Brain Cancer While She Is 34 Weeks Pregnant

Maggie Hanratty was eagerly awaiting the arrival of her first child with husband Eddie Hanratty when an unexpected medical crisis brought them to the hospital.

Eddie, then 30, was diagnosed with a grade 3 astrocytoma — a fast-growing malignant brain tumor.

Speaking with PEOPLE in January, the couple shared that doctors had discovered a tumor measuring 7.3 centimeters — roughly the size of an orange — requiring complex surgery while Maggie was 34 weeks pregnant.

When Eddie told Maggie he was being admitted to the hospital after his MRI, she initially “thought he was kidding,” struggling to grasp how quickly their lives had changed.

In June 2024, just a week after the MRI, Eddie underwent a craniotomy, a procedure that involves removing part of the skull to access the brain. Portions of his frontal lobe also had to be removed to extract the tumor. Doctors successfully removed about 98% of the tumor, but warned that the extensive surgery could leave Eddie altered in some ways.

“He wakes up and he’s the same person. We’re crying because he’s the same, already making jokes, as soon as he wakes up,” Maggie recalled in an update with PEOPLE. “It was a long recovery.”

Eddie, now 32, was given a prognosis of “up to eight years.”

“He was 30 at the time, and we were figuring out what his next steps should be. His oncologist recommended chemo and radiation because, although they removed 98% of the tumor, going further could damage his brain,” Maggie explained. “They think they got everything, but there are some cancer cells you can’t see.”

Eddie completed six weeks of concurrent chemotherapy and radiation, a grueling process, followed by six months of chemotherapy pills.

Maggie, 34, shared that he finished his treatment in April 2025 and is now showing “stable scans,” indicating the cancer is under control with no signs of spreading.

Although he experienced minimal side effects during treatment, Eddie now feels some lingering effects.

“Sometimes he’s really tired one day or really nauseous another. It’s likely to continue for about a year until it’s fully out of his system, but he’s been doing great,” Maggie said.

Since the surgery impacted his right frontal lobe, Eddie has also become “more emotional.”

“He gets easily frustrated. He wasn’t very emotional before, but now he experiences emotions more intensely and gets stressed quickly, so he’s been in therapy,” Maggie said. “Other than that, he’s doing great. We’re trying to live positively and make the most of life.”

Just two weeks after his surgery, the couple welcomed their daughter, Mila, who is now 14 months old. “She’s the best thing that ever happened to us,” Maggie said. “She was meant to be here. If we hadn’t gotten pregnant, we would have had to wait another year for him to clear chemo. I think she’s here for him.”

Eddie will continue to have scans every three months until next year, and if his scans remain stable, the check-ins will move to every six months.

Maggie has been documenting their journey on TikTok, connecting with others facing similar health challenges.

“I wanted to share his story to raise awareness because there’s not enough research on astrocytoma. Glioblastoma gets more attention, but astrocytoma is rarer,” she said. “His doctor usually sees these tumors in people in their 60s, and he’s only 30.”

Maggie’s first viral video came from their pregnancy announcement, which sparked her desire to document both the highs and lows.

“I realized that if I’m sharing our happy moments, like our daughter, I should also share our struggles. It could help someone else and raise awareness that might save a life,” she said. “If it could extend his prognosis beyond eight years, then I’ve done my job. Sharing both the happy and hard moments might help others cope.”

Through this journey, Maggie has also helped other families advocate for their medical care.

“Sharing stories and raising awareness of symptoms that can lead to a diagnosis like this is important. I tell people to get checked, even if you’re 30 and healthy. Fight for an MRI. I’m glad we did, because otherwise he probably wouldn’t be here.”

The couple continues to manage significant medical expenses, including $300,000 for Eddie’s surgery alone. Maggie also faced medical costs from giving birth.

“As soon as he had surgery, my sister started a GoFundMe. We were inundated with bills. He couldn’t work for a year, and the support helped tremendously,” she said. “It covered many of the bills and allowed him to be home with our baby while recovering.”