A moving and heartbreaking story of a young married couple has touched netizens.
On an online forum, users revisited the true story of a Korean husband and wife who were both diagnosed with terminal cancer several years ago. Their journey was first shared with the public through a KBS special documentary that aired in 2017, and the poster provided subsequent updates on their lives.
Back then, the wife, Oh Eun Joo (then 33), and her husband, Lee Kwan Hee (then 38), attended a support group for cancer patients, where she revealed: "My husband was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, and we joined this group… Then in May this year, I was diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma."
Both diagnosed with terminal cancer, the wife continued: "Yesterday we had our two-month checkup, and the results were good. We’re bravely enduring this together as a couple."
The husband gently added: "My wife already said everything, so I don’t have much left to add."
The husband worked at Qualcomm in smartphone research and development. He was once considered the perfect “model son,” often called "my mother's friend's son" in Korean.
"He was an actual son of my mother’s old friend from her youth," the wife said. "When my brother was in high school, he even came to our house as a private tutor."
One day, after severe abdominal pain—he said it felt as if his "insides were tearing apart"—he went to the hospital and was diagnosed with colon cancer: "During an endoscopy, they said something that looked like cancer had been found."
When the wife learned the news, she said in disbelief: "How could it be cancer? He’s only 37 years old… He’s my church oppa. And our baby isn’t even a month old yet—how could it be colon cancer?"
"After the surgery, the doctor came out within an hour and explained that there was a very large tumor that had already spread into the bladder, and unfortunately, there were peritoneal metastases. Because of the metastasis, it was stage 4 colon cancer. My only response was to cry and pray in front of God… saying I was sorry… My mother-in-law was so depressed and broken after hearing the diagnosis," said the wife.
[Trigger Warning: Suicide]
When her husband was diagnosed with colon cancer, his mother also fell into deep depression.
"Then on December 31 last year… I walked into the closet room, and my mother-in-law… had ended her own life by hanging herself," recounted the wife.
She continued, "'Why did you do it, Mother…?' I felt so sorry. She was suffering so much, and I didn’t even realize it… My husband never once cried after receiving his cancer diagnosis, but when my mother passed away like that, he completely broke down."
The husband later said, "I’ve always believed even illness can be a blessing from God, and I endured it. I prayed only that He wouldn’t test me beyond what I could bear." As he continued to pray, he said: "No matter what trials come, I will continue to love You, Lord."
The wife emphasized that he never prayed in resentment, only with gratitude: "God, thank You. I love You. Please have mercy on my mother-in-law."
She explained that when she was also diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma shortly afterward, he worried more about her pain than his own and cared for her with devotion.
Comparing his life to the Book of Job, the husband said: "One by one, Job had everything precious taken away. My life is not the same, but sometimes I wonder if Satan asked God, ‘Let’s see how long Kwan Hee can endure.’ First, my health collapsed, then I lost my mother, and now I must watch my beloved wife suffer… Just like Job, the only thing I can do is place my hope in God, pray for So Yeon (our daughter), and pray for our health."
Two years passed, and the baby who had just been born when they received their diagnoses began to walk. Eight more months went by.
Unfortunately, the husband experienced a second relapse. Despite his efforts—stopping chemotherapy and trying natural healing—within five months the cancer had spread to his liver, lungs, and spine.
The wife attested: "Even as fear and pain overwhelmed him, his mind stayed clear, which made it all the more unbearable. It was his choice—not forced by anyone—so there shouldn’t have been regret or resentment. But the human heart… it clings to ‘what ifs,’ regrets, and anger over past decisions. Humans are weak. Without the help of the Holy Spirit, we can’t endure even a moment. Living each day with gratitude is not my own strength but God’s grace."
As she watched her husband fade, she posted about her struggles on an online forum for cancer patients, explaining how his cancer masses pressed on his organs and how she navigated each step:
"Stagnant fluids and blood caused his body to decay. Doctors insisted on inserting tubes urgently, explaining terrifying side effects and urging me to sign documents in case of the worst. His body ended up covered in tubes. But in the middle of it all, he even joked darkly: 'Maybe it’s because my name has the character ‘gwan’ (tube) in it.' His bilirubin levels spiked, causing jaundice. Doctors warned that if his liver levels rose further, he could die within days, and even if they fell, nothing more could be done—he should move to hospice."
She continued, "'Damn it… what do you know?' I cursed inwardly but stayed composed on the outside. I didn’t want to cry in front of him. As the doctors left, fluids poured from his face, and my heart burned. 'Is it really time to let him go?'
I imagined three possible fates:
1. I would go first, leaving my husband all the burden.
2. We would both go together, though that would be too cruel for our daughter, So Yeon.
3. He would go first, leaving me behind as a widow to suffer alone. 'Not that one, Lord… anything but that.'
Watching my husband suffer with jaundice, swelling, tubes, and unbearable pain, I felt like I was strapped into an electric chair."
Before ending her post, the wife wrote with turbulent emotion: "Even now, I force myself to think: maybe God is still healing him, maybe it just isn’t time yet. But where are You, Lord? Why are You silent while Your beloved son suffers like this? You promised glory through his life—why not restore him? We even vowed to serve in missions. Are we not needed? I scream and cry inside, but You remain silent. Why do I never hear thunderous voices, see visions, or experience miracles? Just one word, please… healed!"
Tragically, about ten days after this post, on September 16, 2018, the husband passed away quietly in the early morning.
Four years later, the wife reported that she was recovering well.
She said: "It’s been five years since my cancer treatment began. I’ve lived without recurrence or metastasis during that time, and I’m almost completely healthy now. Sometimes it doesn’t even feel real that my husband has passed. He often appears in my dreams."
Today, the wife is nearly recovered from lymphoma and living in good health.
Reading this story, netizens mourned the late husband and expressed relief that the wife had almost fully recovered and could care for their daughter.
Some netizens noted that stories in which multiple family members battle cancer "occur more often than one realizes," as the stress of a diagnosis can place others under similarly intense strain.
Others added that while they are "not religious," witnessing stories like this underscores the power of spiritual endurance and the presence of hope, especially as the wife was ultimately spared.
Comments include:
"I hope the wife lives a healthy life. I also have peritoneal metastasis, so reading things like this brings back so many thoughts and it makes me so sad. I need to stay strong and focus on healthy thoughts..."
"This is the first time I’ve read something trembling like this ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Please stay healthy and live happily for a long time."
"I’m so relieved...please live a long, healthy, and happy life with your baby."
"I hope you and your child live a long life together, healthy and happy..."
"I’m relieved the wife is now cured... I hope she lives happily and healthily with her childㅠ The husband must be watching from heaven."
"My mom was also recently diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, and I just want her to stay with me for a long time in good health. I hope the wife in the story, her child, my mom, and all other patients can live healthily!"
"My condolences, and may the wife stay healthy."
"This is like my family’s story... My mom was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and given only months to live, then not long after, my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancerㅎㅎㅎ. My brother and I practically lived at the hospital, moving between the upper and lower floors as caregivers in the oncology ward, all while raising a barely two-year-old child and caring for both parents, who even developed delirium. At some point I thought, maybe it’d be easier if I just died. That way I wouldn’t have to endure this pain... Eventually from stress I bled heavily for two months straight, and then my period stopped altogether. My mom, who was supposed to live two more years, developed severe delirium and dementia, and though she didn’t even know Dad’s diagnosis, she still worried about his weight loss and health. Then, only eight months after her terminal diagnosis, she passed away. Next week is already her first memorial anniversary... My head knows it, but it still feels like she’s just in the hospital, not at home. Like I just can’t see her because visits aren’t allowed..."
"Please stay strong, wife, stay strong..."
"I’m so glad the wife recovered. I hope she never suffers again... Reading nervously because of worries about the baby after everything with her mother-in-law and husband...ㅠ"
"My goodness, the wife is now in remission. Please be happy with your daughter."
"A small relief amid misfortune... It’s truly admirable that she never lost hope and fought through with strength."
"I’m thoroughly nonreligious, but I can’t help it. Father God, please protect this child’s mother, this husband’s wife, this family’s daughter-in-law."
"If there is a God, He should have granted the husband’s last wishㅠ When he closed his eyes, leaving behind his wife and daughter, I believe all he wanted was for his wife to be healedㅠ"
"Ah, I sincerely hope she lives a healthy life with her child..."
"I pray that the mother and child will be kept safe and healthy."
"When I saw on the documentary that the man’s mother took her own life after learning of her son’s cancer, it shocked me so muchㅠ Instead of giving her son strength, she left him with a heavy burden... As a parent myself, I just couldn’t understand—it left me stunnedㅠ I believe the man is now happy in heaven."
"I also had cancer surgery and I’m in the hospital now, so this doesn’t feel like someone else’s story. Let’s all try not to stress too much and stay healthy."
"People always bash religion on hot forums, but for people like them, religion really seems like their last hope. I don’t feel like criticizing religion across the board. When humans face unbearable suffering, it feels natural to rely on a higher being."
"I cried watching that broadcast, but I never imagined I’d be diagnosed with the same cancer later... Still, it’s such a relief the wife is now in remission. I go to that same café and see that same doctor too. Sometimes, posts still go up remembering her husband. And stage 4 isn’t the same as terminal. Stage 4 means the primary cancer spread to other organs or distant lymph nodes, but terminal is when someone is at the end of life and entering hospice. Some stage 4 patients live 10 years or more with treatment. That’s why calling it ‘terminal’ can really hurt stage 4 patients."
"Reading the husband’s words makes me realize how much people like him needed religion... I’m so glad the wife is cured."
"The husband’s story is so heartbreaking. If God exists, He was truly too harsh on this family. Still, it’s a relief that the wife is now healthy."
"Ah, my heart aches... I hope the wife never suffers again, and that peace, calm, and health fill her and her child’s lives."
"I don’t have a religion, but I will pray to God with youㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ"
"I used to be an atheist, but when someone close to me got seriously ill, I realized that if faith gives someone courage and strength, then it has meaning. I’m still nonreligious, but when terrifying moments come, I find myself praying to someone, anyone, asking for help. Anyway, I’m so relieved the wife is healthy now. May she live well, cherishing the memories of her husband, with her child by her side."
"I’m nonreligious, but I think this is the positive side of faith—it gives people something to hold on to no matter what, and that can be an incredible source of strength. I was so worried about the baby, but now I’m so relievedㅠ Thank you."
Rest in peace to the late husband, and our support goes out to the wife and child who survive him.
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