A 33-year-old man found himself in a tricky situation when his co-worker threw him a surprise birthday party, despite knowing he had plans to celebrate with his wife, who is battling cancer. The man, who works in marketing, had already declined the offer, but his co-worker went ahead with the party anyway. The situation escalated when the co-worker made a snide remark about the man's wife being incapable of throwing a 'proper' party. The question is - was he right to leave the party and defend his wife, or should he have been more gracious about the surprise? 🤷♂️🎈
Man Leaves Surprise Birthday Party to Celebrate with Sick Wife: Heartless or Heroic? 🎂💔

Diply | Diply
New Job, New Co-worker 🏢

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Trending
Guerra's Annoying Habits 😒

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Must Read
Wife's Health Condition 😢

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Guerra's Guilt Trips 🙄

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Confronting Guerra 🗣️

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Birthday Plans with Wife 🎂

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Surprise Party Anyway? 🎉

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Confusion and Frustration 😕

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Insensitive Remark 😡

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Lashing Out at Guerra 🤬

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Guerra's Defense 🛡️

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Co-workers' Reactions 📱

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Demands for Apology 😠

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Caught in the Crossfire: Wife or Co-workers? 🎯
Our protagonist found himself in a tough spot when his co-worker, Guerra, threw him a surprise birthday party despite knowing he had plans to celebrate with his sick wife. The situation took a turn for the worse when Guerra made a snide remark about the man's wife being incapable of throwing a 'proper' party. Furious, he lashed out at Guerra and left the party, only to receive texts from his co-workers accusing him of being ungrateful and mean. Now, he's left wondering if he should apologize or stand his ground. Let's see what the internet thinks of this situation... 🤔💬
Setting boundaries with coworkers while caring for sick spouse. NTA 💜

Substantial-Fox-4905 | Substantial-Fox-4905
Man disrespects dying wife's wishes, plays victim. Commenters outraged. 💔

mikey_weasel | mikey_weasel
Supportive comment suggests reporting workplace harassment, receives agreement from replies 👍

HuckleberryOk1542 | HuckleberryOk1542
Friend ignores birthday boy's wishes to party, NTA commenter agrees 👏

Dangerous_Beans74 | Dangerous_Beans74
Explain to coworkers, they'll see what he's doing. NTA 👏

[deleted] | [deleted]
Defending decision to prioritize sick wife over work, with HR suggestion 👍

OneTwoWee000 | OneTwoWee000
NTA stands up to pushy coworker, commenters agree he's the worst 🙄

TerriQuiteContrary | TerriQuiteContrary
Commenter and reply agree on toxic coworker behavior 👍

NanaLeonie | NanaLeonie
Commenter calls out man's toxic behavior, labels him an a**hole. 👎

efrisbee | efrisbee
Commenter calls out toxic positivity, mistaking NTA for NRA.

snowdude11 | snowdude11
Don't apologize, he's a narcissist. Share this to protect yourself 💪

Himkano | Himkano
Coworker disregards wishes, commenter NTA. 👍

amyria | amyria
Compassionate NTA stands up to pushy coworker, offers advice. 👏

Electronic_Trick_13 | Electronic_Trick_13
Recovering alcoholic feels pressured by coworker to drink. NTA.

[deleted] | [deleted]
Commenter calls out disrespectful behavior, demands HR intervention. 💯

Ill-Acanthaceae9321 | Ill-Acanthaceae9321
Commenter calls out insensitive colleague and offers support to OP's sick wife. 👏

rebelkittenscry | rebelkittenscry
Commenter defends their boundaries, calls out partygoers' selfish motives. 👏

keeperbean | keeperbean
Coworker prioritizes image over empathy. NTA for leaving party.

synesthesiah | synesthesiah
Commenter demands apology from man who ruined surprise party 👊

Purdygreen | Purdygreen
Man leaves surprise party to be with sick wife, NTA.

Deadleaves82 | Deadleaves82
Selfish behavior at a birthday party for a sick wife 💔

RaccoonWrong2281 | RaccoonWrong2281
Commenter accuses man of narcissism for leaving party to care for sick wife 😑

Equivalent_Isopod_61 | Equivalent_Isopod_61
Putting your spouse first ❤️ > inconsiderate friends 🤒

Chrestys | Chrestys
Commenter suspects ulterior motive, but wishes best for couple 😊

davybobmacca | davybobmacca
Doubting the authenticity of the story 🤔

Moneyguru_ | Moneyguru_
Supportive comment section with advice for OP's work situation. ❤️

exhausted-narwhal | exhausted-narwhal
NTA for declining party, coworker's behavior may be sexual harassment 😱

MightyThorgasm | MightyThorgasm
Don't let him manipulate you, NTA. Stand up for yourself. 💪

dasbarr | dasbarr
Commenter calls out man's selfishness, advises to avoid him 👍

tessafer55 | tessafer55
Coworker throws unwanted party, insults wife. Commenter NTA, calls out Guerra.

Helene-S | Helene-S
Putting family first is always heroic 💚

Playful-Mastodon-872 | Playful-Mastodon-872
Inappropriate behavior at work, NTA for reporting to HR. 👍

witchbrew7 | witchbrew7
Putting family first 👨🏻👩🏻👦🏻 is never wrong, but communication is key 📡.

imtchogirl | imtchogirl
Defending OP's decision to prioritize sick wife over surprise party. 👍

WhoSc3w3dDaP00ch | WhoSc3w3dDaP00ch
Commenter calls out manipulative behavior in birthday party story. 🤔

eclecticsed | eclecticsed
NTA stands up against toxic co-worker. HR needs to know! 💪

Life-Wealth-3399 | Life-Wealth-3399
Defending against insensitive criticism with NTA. 👏

Seliphra | Seliphra
Employee calls out party-throwing boss for selfishness. 👏

[deleted] | [deleted]
Coworkers dense for not understanding why OP left party for sick wife 👏

MoistUniversities | MoistUniversities
Handling conflict in a group setting: NTA's approach 👏

holster | holster
Standing up to a pushy coworker and being a supportive spouse 👏

paprika1130 | paprika1130
NTA for leaving party to be with sick wife. Coworker is exhausting 😑

[deleted] | [deleted]
Standing up for family over work, NTA wins the day 👏

Individual_Physics29 | Individual_Physics29
Standing up for yourself at work, NTA 👏

undercoverlobster42 | undercoverlobster42
NTA commenter calls out pushy coworker, deems him 'f***ing freak' 🤪

[deleted] | [deleted]
Toxic coworker causing distress and ignoring boundaries 😡

Gigi-lily | Gigi-lily
Setting boundaries and prioritizing family is not being heartless 👏

Limerase | Limerase
Compassionate gesture questioned with a hint of jealousy. 🤔

timeywhimeylymey | timeywhimeylymey
Recovering alcoholic prioritizes wife over toxic work culture. 👏

KnaprigaKraakor | KnaprigaKraakor
Standing up to a bully boss while dealing with cancer ❤️

TailorVegetable4705 | TailorVegetable4705
Support for recovering alcoholic, criticism for clueless coworkers 👏

KittyKate10778 | KittyKate10778
Commenter calls out party guy's fake persona, warns to stay away 😑

Cyberdyne-800 | Cyberdyne-800
Setting boundaries with toxic co-worker: NTA, go to HR 👏

JosieJOK | JosieJOK
Standing up to a toxic colleague: NTA and document everything 👍

meifahs_musungs | meifahs_musungs
Commenter calls out coworker for being overbearing and selfish 👏

[deleted] | [deleted]
Man prioritizes dying wife over birthday party. NTA 👏

scottpilgrimsleftnut | scottpilgrimsleftnut
Colleague's selfish behavior causes distress for grieving coworker. ☠️

predisposedthinking | predisposedthinking
NTA suggests filing HR complaint after insulting sick wife incident 👍

No-Temphex | No-Temphex
Commenter warns of potential danger from party host. 😱

hot_month_8888 | hot_month_8888
Commenter outraged at man who left surprise party for wife

gimmetheloot2p2 | gimmetheloot2p2
Commenter questions man's motives for leaving party to visit wife 🤔

Known-Quantity2021 | Known-Quantity2021
Commenter defends OP from unwanted attention, declares NTA. 👏

BlueGreenOcean21 | BlueGreenOcean21
Commenter defends man leaving party for sick wife. 👏

granitebasket | granitebasket
Family comes first. NTA for leaving party. CYA with HR 👍

SnooGeekgoddess | SnooGeekgoddess
Commenter accuses man of misogyny and unhappy marriage. 🤔

sweadle | sweadle
HR intervention advised for unsympathetic coworker who disregards boundaries 👏

S_h_1991 | S_h_1991
When a friend's actions cross the line, it's time to go. 🚫

ronearc | ronearc
Recovering alcoholic tells friend to respect her wishes, he doesn't. TA.

Possible_Option_4782 | Possible_Option_4782