KUALA TERENGGANU: "My husband divorced me after I underwent surgery to remove one of my breasts after suffering Stage Four breast cancer."
This was the lament of a 54-year-old woman, who spoke to Harian Metro at the 'Penyampaian Bantuan Pendahuluan Nafkah Bahagian Sokongan Keluarga' organised by the Terengganu Syariah Courts yesterday.
The woman claimed that after being diagnosed with cancer, she decided to seek treatment.
The doctor, she said, advised her to undergo a mastectomy and remove one of her breasts to prevent the cancer from spreading.
"However, my husband at the time disagreed and said I shouldn't undergo the surgery. He instead suggested that I seek traditional treatment.
"Despite him saying no, I decided to go ahead as I figured it is more important to survive," she said.
She claimed that her husband, enraged by her decision, decided to file for a divorce.
"Before he declared the 'lafaz cerai', he mentioned that people who had breast cancer like me would usually live for about a year.
"But to me, life or death is Allah's will. Seven years after the surgery, I am still alive.
"However, stress from the pressure caused by my ex-husband led me to suffer a host of other ailments such as depression, muscle pains, mood swings and others," she said.
She said she never once thought that her husband wouldn't be supportive were she to be placed in such a situation.
"Nevertheless, I feel as if I've escaped hell on earth after choosing the wrong person to share my life with," she said.
She said her life is now more peaceful after her divorce. She now lives with her second child.