Husband asked for divorce after spouse's cancer diagnosis — what he did after beating the disease left him stunned
Some people stand by their partners through the worst moments, while others leave before the difficult part even truly begins. One such misfortune was shared by a Reddit user who goes by u/Nonamethrowaway6745 on the r/TrueOffMyChest community on March 27, 2026. Right after being diagnosed with testicular cancer, his now ex-husband decided to leave him because he did not want the responsibility of caring for a sick partner. However, once the poster became disease-free years later, the decision he made afterward left his ex-husband completely shocked.
Update to 'he wants to call off my divorce because my cancer treatment was successful'. (Or my divorce was made official yesterday)
by u/Nonamethrowaway6745 in TrueOffMyChest
The man's former partner asked for a divorce after the heartbreaking diagnosis, saying that "He didn’t sign up to be a nurse." The former spent nearly a year going through brutal treatment that included surgery and chemotherapy. In August 2022, doctors finally told him there was no evidence of disease. But once his ex-husband found out he had recovered, he suddenly wanted to stop the divorce and get back together again. The cancer survivor, however, refused and continued moving forward with ending the marriage, despite his ex trying to drag the process out for years afterward. The divorce was finally made official four and a half years later, and he was able to get a fresh start. Stories like this are often a reminder that difficult moments do not just test relationships, they reveal the truth about the people involved in them.
The man later revealed that during his first appointment with his oncologist, he was warned that many men leave their spouses after a serious illness diagnosis, though he never imagined it would happen to him, too. What made it even more eye-opening was realizing that every person in his support group who was married to a man had experienced something similar. According to research highlighted by Fred Hutch Cancer Center, divorce or separation rates were 20.8% when the woman was seriously ill, compared to just 2.9% when the man was the patient. Plus, husbands were six times more likely to leave a sick spouse after diagnoses like cancer or multiple sclerosis.
The internet praised the man for moving on with his life. u/Smooth_Pomelo_8663 commented, "It never occurred to me that the 'men leave their spouse during cancer treatment' statistic stayed consistent regardless of sexuality. u/CranberryBauce also wrote, "It breaks my heart when people leave their spouses over a life-threatening disease. What do they think 'in sickness and in health' even means?" u/WiccanPixxie said, "Well done to you, firstly for beating cancer. And secondly, for getting rid of dead weight that would hold you back." Right after beating a life-threatening illness and finally divorcing a toxic ex, he revealed that he landed a great new job with the provincial government, started planning a vacation for his 40th birthday, and, perhaps most importantly, felt truly free for the first time in years.
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