For many couples tying the knot, sticking together "in sickness and in health" might feel like a faraway concept, but for one California couple facing cancer diagnoses together, supporting each other and their family "in sickness" is a very real challenge from which they're not backing down.
Zak Salazar, 41, and Cori Salazar, 42, of Mission Viejo, California, are fighting cancer simultaneously, all while raising their three young daughters -- Juniper, 7, Delaney, 5, and Luna, 4 -- and working full-time.
Cori Salazar told ABC News she was diagnosed with cancer first in April 2023, after her mom "noticed a lump" in her neck. She said doctors then told her she had a mass in her thyroid.
The dental hygienist said she underwent two surgeries to remove the tumor and prevent the cancer from spreading.
While she was recovering from her second surgery in June 2023, Zak Salazar, a park ranger, was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor -- a grade 4 astrocytoma, mutant type, with MGMT methylation -- after experiencing what he described as "excruciating" headaches for weeks.
He told ABC News he went to see an optometrist to get an updated glasses prescription, which set off a chain of events that led him to see multiple doctors, before he was eventually admitted to a hospital for emergency brain surgery.
"I was obviously pretty nervous and scared, and of course, like, just asking myself, 'What is going on?' It was like, my life changed because of an eye exam," Zak Salazar recalled.
In March 2025, doctors discovered Cori Salazar had another tumor, a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor, while she was being checked for kidney stones.
Pancreatic NETs are a rare type of tumor that forms in hormone-making cells of the pancreas and may be benign or cancerous, according to the National Cancer Institute. These tumors may or may not cause symptoms, the NCI states, and symptoms "depend on the type of hormone being made."
Pancreatic NETs can be treated using a variety of methods, including surgery, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, hepatic arterial occlusion or chemoembolization, targeted therapy, or supportive care, according to the agency.
Despite all their health challenges, Cori Salazar said they've grown stronger and more confident both together and as a family.
"[Our] motto that we started saying, when this all started happening, is, 'We can do hard things together,'" Cori Salazar said, adding, "Losing Zak seems really hard and scary … but I know that if that were to happen, that I'd be able to get through it."
The parents of three also stopped shying away from discussing death and talked to their kids about cancer after meeting with a child psychologist.
"[The child psychologist said] it's better to give [cancer] a name than for [children] to assume anytime, because we were saying, 'We're sick. We're not feeling well.' And then they would feel like anytime they got sick or they weren't feeling well, 'Oh, now, I'm going to go to the hospital and get a major surgery,' or what have you," Cori Salazar said. "So, we started naming it as cancer, and we're just matter-of-fact [about it]."
Today, Cori Salazar said she is taking a daily thyroid medication and getting regular imaging to monitor her slow-growing pancreatic tumor, while Zak Salazar said he takes a daily drug approved for astrocytomas and has regular MRIs to check for brain tumor growth.
Cori Salazar said she wants others to have hope "even when things feel hopeless," and to stay present.
"Because of that, you can find so much joy every day. Even in the hard times, Zak and I are really good at laughing at our situation and our circumstance," she said.
Zak Salazar added that he encourages others to ask for help when they need it.
"You can't do it alone. So, I would just remind people that it's OK to ask for help. It doesn't mean you're weak," he said.
The family's friends have set up an online fundraiser to support the family through both parents' cancer journeys, which has already surpassed 59% of its $650,000 goal.
