Woman Was Called ‘Selfish’ for Abandoning Dying Husband – She Explains Why It’s Right

• A couple with a 15-year age gap between them decided to get married.
• After her husband was diagnosed with cancer, the woman decided she wouldn't stick around to help him through it.
• After the divorce, people on the internet criticized her for her harsh behavior, but she insisted she was better off without him.

Many people applaud significant others who stick with their partners during the most challenging times of their lives. Many would like to believe that they, too, would be there for the ones they love when they're faced with career-ending news, the death of a family member, or a life-threatening illness.

In practice, however, some people may not live up to that ideal. When Yana Fry, 40, wed her husband, she was merely 22 but had dreams of a big, loving family. Although her better half was 15 years older than her, she saw no reason not to go through with the union.

Fry, a St Petersburg local, met the man she thought she would be spending the rest of her life with only a year before they settled down. They tied the knot in Switzerland, his home country, before moving to New York. Life seemed blissful until Fry's husband was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.

How a Diagnosis Led to a Divorce

Shortly after Fry and her new husband settled down together, she started to think about having kids. She had always wanted children, and she had married her husband with the intent of having kids with him. She recalled that they had tons of fun while dating, and she wanted to have kids as soon as possible.

Her ex's family was disappointed in her, as they'd thought Fry would have stuck with him until the end.

Unfortunately, things wouldn't go the way Fry had hoped. Instead of having a child, as she had planned, Fry's husband was diagnosed with testicular cancer. The news understandably shocked the couple, although doctors assured them the chances of this being fatal were rather low.

Still, Fry was worried that his cancer would influence their ability to have children. At the time, they had only been living in New York for a while, and she had no one to support her. She couldn't speak English, and she had no friends.

The news hit her husband even harder. Fry recalled that he became miserable, and although the doctors assured them it would most likely be a brief illness, the treatments dragged out over five years.

Fry Decides to Leave

As the years went by and none of the treatments worked, Fry's husband grew increasingly bleak about his situation. Meanwhile, Fry's own mental health was degrading. She mentioned it was almost impossible to talk about herself while she knew her husband was dealing with his disease. She recalled:

"It was very clear to me that if I didn't save myself, I was probably going to die."

So, Fry decided to get a divorce. The news was understandably heartwrenching for her husband, but Fry knew she had to do something to improve her life. They went through with the divorce, and she recalled her now-ex became even more depressed.

Her ex's family was disappointed in her, as they'd thought Fry would have stuck with him until the end. Eventually, her ex passed away, and other people picked up on the story. Soon Fry's inboxes were filled with tons of mail from strangers giving her their two cents on the matter.

People took to social media, calling Fry "very selfish" and saying, "That's not love." Another person wrote, "You would have to be very self-centered and extremely selfish to do something like that."

One person noted, "Selfish what goes around comes around." Still, Fry stuck by her decision, saying she had to get out before he dragged her into despair with him.

Want more like this? Click here to read about a husband who dumped his pregnant wife after she vomited. She showed up at his funeral a year later with their kids.