Ten Days After Wedding, Woman Gets Life Threatening Diagnosis, Husband Does Something Worse

Ten Days After Wedding, Woman Gets Life Threatening Diagnosis, Husband Does Something Worse
People waiting around at a hospital in China. (Wang Zhao/AFP/Getty Images)
Daniel Holl
7/15/2019
Updated:
9/6/2019

Some people take very seriously the wedding vows of “through sickness and in health, until death do us part.” Others, however, may view it as a mere formality.

In one instance, a recently wed woman was diagnosed with a life threatening disease, and soon after, her husband abandoned her.

The bride, surnamed Song, was diagnosed with acute lymphatic leukemia, according to a report from the Chinese news outlet Jinan Metro Channel on July 9. Now, her husband won’t even return her calls.

“Maybe it’s family reasons,” Song told Jinan Metro. “He’s always hiding, and he doesn’t pick up the phone.”

From Marriage to Abandonment

Song and her husband were high school sweethearts. They got married on Nov. 19, 2018. They both live in Jinan City of China’s Shandong Province.

On Nov. 22, she fell ill and went to the hospital. The doctors informed her that her white blood-cell count was higher than normal.

On Nov. 29, Song was diagnosed with leukemia. Her husband took care of her, but looming medical bills for her treatment began to take an effect.

During the Chinese New Year, which was observed on Feb. 5 for the year 2019, Song was not invited to her husband’s family home. In Chinese culture, this is a terrible sign for a relationship.

Then, through text, the husband explained that he no longer could take care of her. “I’m the one who is sorry,” Song’s husband wrote, according to a screen capture of her text messages. “I don’t have the ability to help you get well.”

Then on Feb. 8, Song’s husband met with her one last time. “I don’t have the ability to take care of you, we should get divorced,” he told Song, according to Jinan Metro. This was the last time she spoke to him.

“His dad told me that the two of us were not suitable,” Song told Jinan Metro.

Song now lives with her older sister. She is also facing high medical bills. For this month, she may have to pay 25,000 yuan ($3,600). Her immediate family is helping her to raise and borrow money to pay for the ongoing treatment.

Daniel Holl is a Sacramento, California-based reporter, specializing in China-related topics. He moved to China alone and stayed there for almost seven years, learning the language and culture. He is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.
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