“I don’t want to catch the disease”—An Egyptian husband abandons his wife and children after they are diagnosed with cancer.

A Egyptian husband abandoned his wife and three children after they were all diagnosed with cancer, shirking his financial and emotional responsibilities.

Attorney Noha El-Gendy stated that her client had suffered from cancer during her childhood and fully recovered. However, after marriage and having three children, the illness returned. The children were also diagnosed with leukemia. The husband’s reaction was completely unexpected; he rejected the situation, accusing his wife of deceiving him and blaming her for their children’s leukemia. He refused to contribute to their expensive medical treatment costs.

The husband left his wife and children, stating that he did not want to contract the disease through transmission. Later, the wife was shocked to find out that he had divorced her in absentia after seven years of marriage, during which they had three children.

The wife had to resort to the courts with claims for alimony. The family court in Haram ruled in her favor, granting alimony for her maintenance and the children’s support, amounting to only 3000 Egyptian pounds. The father considered this amount too high and appealed, hoping for it to be canceled or reduced.