A woman named Marie took to social media to share her shocking story of how her husband of six years left her after she was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
The worst part? He didn’t just leave her; he also drained their joint bank account, taking all the money she needed for her medical treatment.
A Heartbreaking Text Exchange
Marie shared a screenshot of a text exchange between her and her husband, where he explained why he was leaving her.
“Listen, it’s been hard, I can’t handle watching you die,” the text reads.
“I feel alone, I feel trapped, I’m not sure where or what I’m going to do … I’ve invested a lot during your treatment so I’m recouping what I put in plus extra for my future. I can still have one.”
He even had the nerve to apologize for the fact that his wife was dying and urged her to “be happy for me, that I can live for us both.”
A Common Occurrence?
Sadly, Marie’s story is not an isolated incident. Research shows that men are more likely to leave their wives after a cancer diagnosis than vice versa.
A 2025 study found that men were seven times more likely to leave their partner than the other way around if one of them got brain cancer.
The Caring Gap
Experts say that this phenomenon is a reflection of the inequity in modern marriages. Women often bear the brunt of caring responsibilities, whether in the context of serious illness or at the end of life.
Professor Alex Broom, a sociology expert, explained that women do a disproportionate amount of informal caring and receive less care themselves, often at critical moments.
Reaction to the News
The reaction to Marie’s story has been overwhelming, with many women expressing disgust but not shock.
“You WILL beat the cancer, and you will thrive again. What goes around comes around,” one commenter wrote.
As one remarked, “I’m just shocked that it’s not higher a higher percentage of men.”