Marblehead native Meagan Hathaway, 25, never thought she’d have to fight ocular melanoma, a rare cancer that affects five out of one million people. She also never pictured herself running a marathon. But the Oracle account manager is now doing both.
Hathaway has fought her cancer for the last seven years and will run the Boston Marathon for the Mass Eye and Ear Ocular Melanoma Center, already raising over $11,000 for the cause.
She developed the extremely rare cancer as a senior at Marblehead High School. Finding the cancer was almost a fluke as she never had any symptoms. During a regular eye exam, her local optometrist expressed concern about the brown speck in her blue eye, something Hathaway had for many years. The spot had made for interesting conversation but was never a medical concern. Tests later showed she had ocular melanoma.
“I didn’t think of it as that big of a deal at first,” said Hathaway, who moved to Boston recently. “It wasn’t affecting me and the doctors assured us it was easily fixable.”
Unfortunately, that was not the case. She has since experienced radiation burns, glaucoma, cataracts and years of complications following treatment. Hathaway has lost nearly all vision in her left eye.
“It is shrinking like a rotten fruit. Doctors are just trying to keep it comfortable with eye drops because it is so dry and inflamed but there is really nothing else they can do,” she said.
Still, she is beyond grateful to the doctors at Mass Eye and Ear for their care. “They are the best hospital in the country, arguably, and I’m lucky to live here. We had opinions coming in from all over the country, too.”
Hathaway is running to raise funds for the hospital that still cares for her and also to raise awareness of this rare disease. Running a marathon never crossed her mind until recently when she wanted to try a new sport and give back.
A former record-breaking swimmer at the Marblehead YMCA, Marblehead High School and Bucknell University, Hathaway continued swimming competitively despite her diagnosis. She was a champion and broke multiple records on each team before graduating from Bucknell in 2022.
She is now working with a coach to prepare for the 26.2-mile run. “We do easy runs, long runs and hill workouts because Boston is a hilly route,” she said, adding she has completed 18-, 20- and 22-mile runs along the Boston Marathon route.
As soon as Hathaway decided to run the marathon, she knew what her charity would be. “Obviously Mass Eye and Ear was the most fitting charity for me.” She is part of a team raising funds for research and care, with a collective goal of $500,000.
When asked about her plans before and after the marathon, both revolve around her support teams — celebrating with her Mass Eye and Ear team at a “team huddle” before and being with family afterward.
“I’m excited to see my family and friends when I finish and celebrate with them and get food. I’m sure I’ll be hungry!”
To support Hathaway’s fundraising effort for the Mass Eye and Ear Ocular Melanoma Center, visit: loom.ly/0YeUCAo.
