"How to remain single forever": Danielle Epstein slammed over London marathon fundraiser after abandoning cancer-stricken boyfriend

Danielle Epstein recently announced that she would be running the London Marathon on Sunday, April 23, 2023, in honor of her ex-boyfriend Jelle Fresen, who has cancer. However, Danielle recently left 37-year-old Jelle after his cancer diagnosis, claiming that it was affecting her mental health, which had shocked people across the world, at the time.

Danielle's former fiancé, Jelle was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive type of cancer, grade 4 medulloblastoma, in September 2022. After the diagnosis, he had to undergo surgery and had to learn how to walk all over again. He also had to undergo six weeks of radiation and is set to have another nine months of chemotherapy.

Danielle claimed that all of this was taking a toll on her mental health and that she was experiencing panic attacks. She said that she left Jelle as it wasn't just "damaging" her mental health but also wasn't really helping Jelle.

While the pair broke up, Danielle Epstein recently announced that she would be running the London Marathon in Jelle's honor to benefit research in brain tumors. Needless to say, her announcement was met with quite a lot of furious responses from netizens who took to social media to call her out. One person even said:

A user comments on Danielle Epstein's behavior (Image via Twitter/addisonsmommy5)

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Danielle Epstein's break up with Jelle Fresen shocks netizens around the world

The 32-year-old physics teacher spoke to South West News Service and explained why she left Jelle. She said that while she felt like the "most awful person" for leaving someone with cancer, it wasn't really helping Jelle.

Danielle said that she was incredibly worried and devastated about Fresen, and had trouble sleeping and eating. She also said that she experienced panic attacks and had to go on some medication herself. Adding that she "simply couldn't function," Danielle said that she loved Jelle and wanted to support him. However, she said that she realized that she couldn't stay with him as his partner.

As soon as netizens heard about Danielle Epstien's announcement about the London Marathon, they took to Twitter to criticize her. Some called her out for breaking up with Jelle Fresen because it was affecting her mental and emotional health. Meanwhile, others said called her a terrible person.

A user commented on the Danielle Epstein story (Image via Twitter/markmcburney)

A social media user discusses their opinion on Danielle Epstein and Jelle Fresen (Image via Twitter/TeresApprentice)

A user shares his opinion on the case (Image via Twitter/ChristopherD321)

When asked why she was running a marathon for Jelle, Danielle Epstein said that she had felt incredibly helpless as she watched it all unfold. She added that she knew that she had to do "something."

The couple had planned to buy a house together when Jelle Fresen started to feel dizzy and vomited ever so often. Jelle, a Google software engineer was first diagnosed with an ear infection by doctors, but he sought out a private MRI when his vomiting worsened.

An MRI scan located the tumor and surgery revealed that the mass in his brain was indeed cancerous. It was a type of cancer that was more often than not found in children, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Danielle Epstein said that she felt their whole lives were coming out from under them. The surgery left Fresen with nerve damage and resulted in some paralysis on the right side of his face. Jelle Fresen can't fully close one eye and has a slight squint that gives him a double vision.

Epstein admitted that they weren't going to "work out" in the future. She added that the couple was on a "certain path to a certain future," and noted:

"Within one day we knew it wasn’t going to work out like that anymore."

Once they broke things off, Epstein moved to Thailand to live with her father. The broken-up couple is now trying to settle into a friendship. Danielle Epstein confirmed that she is not a runner and is planning to run the marathon as a tribute to her former boyfriend. She added that since Jelle had done marathons earlier, she thought it would be a challenge for her and a tribute to him.

Danielle said that training for the marathon had been physically and mentally challenging for her. However, she noted that it was nothing compared to what her ex had endured and survived. She said, if Jelle could go through "all of this," she could run a marathon. Danielle Epstein claimed that it gave her motivation to push through the challenges.

Jelle Fresen will reportedly be there on Sunday, cheering and supporting Epstein. He said that it was "incredible" that she was running the 26.2-mile race. He told SWNS that when she told him that she planned on running a marathon, he had his doubts. He added that she only ran around 3.1 miles when they were together and would even complain about it.

Jelle said that he had gained a lot of respect for his ex's discipline and perseverance.

National events manager for the UK-based charity Brain Tumor Research Carol Robertson also spoke about Danielle running the marathon. Robertson said that while Jelle's type of tumor is rare, brain cancer isn't rare, and one in three people knows someone affected. She added that they were grateful that Danielle was running the marathon to help the cause.

In addition to running the marathon, Danielle Epstein started a JustGiving page to fundraise for brain tumor research. The goal limit of the campaign is about $12,500.