What happened, in summary

Marianne Gongos was 60 when a lump appeared in her left breast in 2011. She was already living with chronic myeloid leukemia, diagnosed in 1999, and had reached remission through a clinical drug trial. Surgery confirmed breast cancer, leading to removal of the left breast and 19 lymph nodes. Three of the lymph nodes contained cancer.

Treating the breast cancer required Marianne to pause her leukemia medicine, creating concern that the leukemia could return. She received chemotherapy for 6 months, radiation therapy for 2 months and an unnamed immunotherapy for 1 year. The treatment course was difficult. After losing her health insurance, she received help from a social worker and patient navigator. She also worked with a nutritionist and reduced her weight from 287 pounds to 180 pounds, which later allowed her to undergo double knee replacement.

After breast cancer treatment, Marianne restarted her leukemia medicine. She had been breast cancer-free since June 13, 2013, and her leukemia had been in remission since September 2013. She returned to traveling, swimming and spending time with friends, describing each challenge as something to take one day at a time.