When Maryanne Martin was stricken with Stage IV ovarian cancer her insurance company refused to pay for an experimental stem-cell transfer. She and her family instead raised the money themselves through benefits and word-of-mouth campaigns, which was when met them while covering their efforts. Eventually the money was raised, the procedure performed and the result was an extra five years for Maryanne to see her children mature, graduate and even marry.

But when those five years were up, Maryanne’s condition began to deteriorate. The hope had been that some new procedure would have been discovered during that time which might have allowed for another five years, or even more.

When no such breakthrough came, the Martins prepared for the end of Maryanne’s journey. They invited me to record their last days together and so finish the story.