A woman battling cancer has shared heartbreaking messages from her husband, who left her and took all their money.
Marie, who is undergoing treatment for a brain tumour, said her condition has been severe, involving multiple surgeries and treatments.
‘My husband of six years up and vanished, drained our mutual account and sent me this when I asked what the hell was going on,’ she wrote on a post shared to social media.
Despite her illness, she remained devoted to her husband.
‘My condition is foul, I’ve had multiple surgeries, treatments, etc … But I’ve always been faithful, I still cooked him dinners up until this happened. He’s pretty convinced I’m dead to rights, I personally think I have a chance …’
Alongside her post, Marie included an MRI scan showing the tumour and a text message from her husband explaining why he left.
‘Listen, it’s been hard, I can’t handle watching you die,’ the message read.
‘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.’
Marie uploaded to social media the texts and videos her husband sent her
She was cooking him dinner while battling a brain tumour – while he was planning his escape
He went on to tell Marie she should ‘be happy for me, that I can live for us both.’
He also sent her three disturbing videos, then appeared on camera holding a bottle of wine while talking about another woman
‘She is the one that makes me happy. Everything, she meets my needs and you don’t and you won’t and you haven’t,’ he said.
‘I’m at the point now where I’m feeling alone when I’m with you, and small.’
A recent study published in The Times revealed men were more likely to leave their wives after a cancer diagnosis.
The study looked at more than 25,000 couples across 27 countries during an 18-year period and found that divorce was more likely when the wife was sick.
And if it was the husband who had health issues, the couple was no more likely to split than if both were healthy.
A sociologist at the University of Sydney, Professor Alex Broom, said women often bore the brunt of caring responsibilities at both ends of life
Professor Alex Broom, a sociologist at the University of Sydney, said the findings highlight a troubling imbalance in caregiving within relationships.
‘Research has often shown that women bear the brunt of caring responsibilities at both ends of life – the early years and the twilight years,’ he told News.com.au.
‘But also, that the men in their lives can be ill-equipped to provide them with care and support when they need it, whether in the context of serious illness or at the end of life.’
‘The reality is, women do a disproportionate amount of informal caring, and receive less, on average, themselves -often at critical moments.’
