When Danielle Salazar and her husband began IVF, she believed they were building the family life they had always wanted.
Instead, the fertility journey led to a devastating diagnosis: doctors discovered she had terminal cancer. Soon afterward, another painful revelation would further upend her life.
As she underwent treatment, Salazar, 39, of Forks, Washington, learned that her husband had been unfaithful.
He eventually left her to be with the other woman, leaving Salazar to cope with heartbreak while facing an overwhelming medical battle largely on her own.
Salazar said she met her now-former husband, whose identity has not been disclosed, in 2019. They married in 2022 and soon began trying to have a child.
‘I really wanted a child with my husband. It wasn’t happening, so we decided to go through IVF,’ she explained.
During the IVF process, physicians found a 10-centimeter growth on Salazar’s left ovary. At first, she was reassured that it was only a cyst and not a serious concern.
Salazar had already been diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS, and had experienced irregular periods and intense cramps. Even so, she wanted the growth removed.
Danielle Salazar learned she had cancer earlier this year after her IVF treatment led doctors to investigate a growth on her left ovary
Salazar, 39, from Forks, Washington, discovered her husband’s infidelity while she was receiving cancer treatment
‘They told me that because it was “just a cyst” surgery wasn’t medically necessary. But something in my gut told me otherwise,’ Salazar shared.
She proceeded with the operation. Afterward, her doctor told her that the mass had not been a cyst at all—it was a tumor discovered during surgery.
Salazar was referred to the oncology team at Virginia Mason in Seattle. There, she underwent multiple procedures aimed at removing the cancer while preserving her ability to have children.
‘It was surgery after surgery. I wanted a child, and I was trying to preserve my fertility in any way I could,’ she reflected.
Eventually, however, her oncologist warned that she would not survive without a hysterectomy.
In December 2023, surgeons removed her fallopian tubes, ovaries, uterus, cervix, part of the omentum and a section of her bladder wall.
The procedure ended Salazar’s ability to carry a pregnancy and left her facing a difficult recovery. It also triggered early menopause.
‘I’d had many surgeries before, and I can handle pain, but that was the most painful experience of my life,’ she said.
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Salazar was diagnosed with stage IV low-grade serous carcinoma that had spread to her peritoneum and lymph nodes
Salazar and her oncologist plan to explore clinical trials, but she was told after her diagnosis in January that she may have only 18 to 36 months to live
While she was declared cancer free after that, near the end of 2025 she started to develop nausea, fatigue and a ripping sensation when she lay on her stomach.
In January 2026, a blood test and CT scan revealed the cancer had returned, and this time it had spread.
‘A CT scan showed tumors throughout my abdomen and down to my pelvic floor,’ she revealed.
Salazar’s diagnosis was stage IV low-grade serous carcinoma with spread to her peritoneum and lymph nodes.
At first, medication suppressed the tumors, but it has now stopped working; the tumors cannot be surgically removed because they cannot be separated from the organs they are attached to.
She and her oncologist plan to discuss clinical trials, however, she was told in January when she first received the diagnosis that she likely only has 18-36 months left.
Then came another devastating blow.
In August, Salazar said a member of her husband’s family told her he was having an affair and shared video proof.
‘[I confronted him over the phone and] he didn’t deny it,’ she said. ‘Once it was confirmed I immediately threw up.
Despite all the heartache, Salazar is now trying to make the most of her time left and has spent the last few months traveling and connecting with other cancer patients
‘I was in Arizona at the time visiting my brother when I found out, so this was all over the phone.
‘I watched my husband leave on my front door camera and haven’t seen him since. For the first time in eight months I didn’t think about cancer for a full day.’
Salazar filed for divorce immediately after.
‘I honestly am still processing it. To do that to a person is horrible, but to do it to your dying partner? I didn’t know that level of evil existed so close to me,’ she said.
Despite all the heartache, Salazar is now trying to make the most of her time left and has spent the last few months traveling and connecting with other cancer patients.
‘I took what life gave me and made it as beautiful as I could,’ she said. ‘That’s what I want my legacy to be. I want others to do the same.’
