A woman broke up with her BF over the fact that he had cancer and it was making her feel bad
Danielle Epstein, who is 32 and from London, was dating Jelle Fresen, who is 37 until he got a rare type of brain tumor.
As reported by the Daily Mail,
He needed a complex operation, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, and had to learn to walk again.
While all this was going on physics teacher Danielle began having panic attacks and her mental health plummeted – so she ended their relationship.
Epstein, who works as a teacher, moved to Thailand after they broke up, but they stayed in touch.
Danielle said,
I felt like the most awful person, leaving somebody because they have cancer, but it was damaging my mental health, and it wasn’t helping Jelle.
She said she felt bad about leaving Fresen while he was fighting the disease that could kill him, but it was hurting her mental health, and she couldn’t take it any longer.
But now, in honor of Jelle, she is running a marathon in London to raise money for a brain tumor charity.
We were on a certain path to a certain future, and within one day, we knew it wasn’t going to work out like that anymore,
said, Danielle.
I was so worried and devastated, I couldn’t sleep or eat.
I was having panic attacks and was on so much medication to sort myself out I just couldn’t function.
Danielle stayed friends with Jelle even after she and her father moved to Thailand. She kept in touch with him and made sure he was doing well.
I still love Jelle deeply and want to support him, but I came to realize I couldn’t stay with him as his partner,
she said.
Following his operation Jelle had nerve damage that paralysed the right side of his face, leading to a squint that causes double-vision. He also can’t fully close his eye and must use eye drops and ointments,
per Daily Mail.
Danielle said this about her choice to run in Jelle’s name in the brain tumor marathon:
I felt so helpless watching all this unfold, so I knew I had to do something.I’m not a runner, but Jelle has done marathons before, so I thought it would be a challenge for me and a nice tribute to him and it felt like something to aim towards.
She added,
I won’t be fast, but I’m determined to get round. Training has been tough physically and mentally – just keeping going when you’re so bored is challenging. But I have the best motivation; if Jelle can go through all of this then I can run a marathon.
