KUALA LUMPUR: When Marie (not her real name) was battling breast cancer, she would often return home after a chemotherapy session tired and in need of rest, like other cancer patients.
But her ex-husband had other ideas.
To him, her life-threatening illness was a "small matter", Marie, 30, told Harian Metro.
"Once he asked why the chemotherapy was taking so long.
"Whenever I got home after chemotherapy, I felt weak, yet he would ask me to do chores, including cleaning up, looking after the children and cooking."
Her former husband is a hot-tempered person and Marie thought that her diagnosis would see her being treated better.
It never happened.
Instead, there were times when she was even beaten for "failing" to look after the home.
"If he didn't like something, I would be beaten, even though I was sick.
"At the time, I did not dare lodge a police report as I was afraid he would take my children away from me."
When she could not take it anymore, she asked for a divorce.
Her ex-husband refused and threatened to run away with the children.
Marie relented for a few years, suffering all the while before gathering the courage to seek a divorce again.
This time her husband agreed to the divorce and she gained custody of the children.
Marie is not alone in her struggle.
The National Cancer Society of Malaysia (NCSM) estimates that 30 per cent of women battling cancer also have to put up with domestic issues.
This includes being ignored by their husbands, having to live on their own or divorce.
NCSM Managing Director, Associate Professor Dr Murallitharan M said often, the problem lies with husbands who cannot accept their wives' cancer diagnoses.
He said when a person is diagnosed with cancer, their loved ones, especially their spouses should serve as their main caregivers and pillar of support.
When this does not happen, disputes occur and this can even lead to divorce, complicating matters for the cancer patient.
"It will give them (patients) more stress at a time when they have to undergo all sorts of procedures to treat the cancer," he said, adding this can even lead to anxiety and depression.
He said in some cases, domestic issues lead to cancer patients giving up on treatment even then there is hope for recovery.
Murallitharan urged women who have been diagnosed with cancer to undergo counselling with their partners.
"This way, they can face the situation together, and the husband will be better able to play his role and accept the situation more positively, and this in turn can help him support his partner's recovery.
"A holistic approach involving the whole family is necessary for the patient's recovery," he said, adding more awareness on the matter was needed.