Cori Salazar was finally back to work after many months of absence for thyroid cancer treatments when she got some shocking news. Doctors had found a malignant tumor on her husband’s brain.
Salazar was first diagnosed with a high-grade, fast-growing papillary thyroid carcinoma in April, with her most recent surgery on June 6 that put her recovery. Then three weeks later, on June 28, Zak Salazar was diagnosed with a grade four astrocytoma brain tumor, discovered after a routine eye exam.
“Being told you have cancer is a total shock,” said Zak Salazar.
The Salazars both have had to undergo immediate surgeries to remove the cancerous tumors. Zak Salazar is now two weeks post-op and will require an intensive treatment regimen, including surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.
“It seems very strange to me to have had the ‘cancer’ removed through surgery but still have a cancer diagnosis and everything that comes along with it,” said Zak Salazar. “It feels like a lie, I struggle to even say it out loud.”
The Salazars are parents of three daughters — 4-year-old Juniper, 3-year-old Delaney and Luna, 18 months — and most of their time is spent with the kids, said Zak Salazar. The Mission Viejo residents enjoy being outside, riding bikes, going for hikes (as the girls call it, “going on a bear hunt”) and enjoying leisure time with their extended families.
Even with the devastating news of the cancer, the Salazar family has managed to stay positive and thankful.
“As a family, we have a pretty strict rule where we never discuss numbers or odds because it doesn’t matter,” Cori Salazar said. “We sit in the sun and listen to good music, we pray together and fill our hearts with gratitude for all that we have been given.”
Cori Salazar works as a dental hygienist, and Zak Salazar is a park ranger for the Orange County Parks. Calling it a “dream job,” Zak Salazar has served in his position for nearly 13 years and is assigned to work…
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