Soap Vet Kassie DePaiva's Cancer Diagnosis Was More Harrowing Than We Knew

Kassie DePaiva has delighted fans of soap operas in a daytime television career that began in 1986 and continues today. Beginning with a starring role in "Guiding Light," DePaiva made Llanview, PA her home for two decades as Blair Cramer in "One Life To Live." After "OLTL" was initially canceled by ABC, Blair made her way to the network's final existing soap, "General Hospital." She made a handful of appearances before returning to "OLTL" for its short-lived reboot. However, Blair made her return to Port Charles on the September 15 episode of "GH." 

Viewers know Blair as a tough-as-nails character who has gone through a myriad of issues in her personal life, finding a way to overcome every obstacle. Like Blair, her portrayer, Kassie DePaiva, has faced a series of harrowing circumstances in her own life. In 2016, DePaiva publicly revealed her battle with leukemia, something diagnosed after initially being concerned with breast cancer following the discovery of a lump. However, at the time that was believed to be the only disease the actor was facing. 

However, recently, DePaiva made a stunning admission about what she learned shortly after her leukemia diagnosis. Only a year after discovering she had acute myeloid leukemia, doctors made a horrific discovery that left DePaiva with a far greater road to recovery. According to People, DePaiva entered into a second battle with cancer, this time learning she had breast cancer.