Online help for cancer patients exists in many forums: medical guides, resource lists, community forums and — in keeping with a wider trend — dating.
As society has increasingly grown to rely on the internet, and with the emergence of social media, online dating has rapidly risen in popularity. The social pressures of bars, clubs and blind dates disappear when singles are able to make connections first through the web before diving into a relationship.
One of the common benefits online daters reference is that they can avoid the often-awkward small talk that comes with first encounters and instead focus on finding potential partners who share their backgrounds, interests or experiences. That’s particularly relevant for people who have unique experiences like those facing cancer.
A diagnosis shouldn’t mean an end to the dating game, an opinion championed by Cancer Dating Service. The site connects cancer patients for both romance and friendship, noting the benefits of forging a relationship with someone who’s experienced similar struggles. “Other people like you are out there waiting for you, ready and willing to give you support and love,” the site urges. “You do not have to pretend in front of them that everything is okay when it is not just to make them feel comfortable. It is already hard for you the way it is.”
Users can join for free to create a profile, browse users’ profiles and send “flirts” to others. Premium membership allows for more profile options and user interactions. The process of making new connections, and maybe even love interests, can be both exciting and a self-confidence booster, which especially holds true for cancer patients. Isolation is a common byproduct of cancer, but online dating combats that trend. After weeks, months or even years of medical worries and woes, dating can be a welcomed and needed distraction to help refocus one’s energy.
The same holds true for people rebounding from cancer. Cancer Survivor Dating offers online help for cancer patients who are now cancer-free and looking to rejuvenate their dating life. The site explains how diving back into the dating pool after treatment can give the spark needed to kick start a post-cancer life. “This journey hasn’t been easy but you have made it through and are stronger for it now,” the site notes. “You’ve put aside dating because it was the last thing on your mind but now that you are healthy and feeling a bit more human, you want to meet someone new!
With Cancer Survivor Dating, you’ll enter a world of beautiful, strong, healthy individuals who have had cancer and want to meet others like them.” That bond links the hundreds of users who belong to the site. Singles looking to mingle are able to search through other members in their area, so they don’t have travel far to meet up. Even if that connection goes no further than a chat over coffee or sharing stories over dinner, having another person to lean on in the journey back from cancer is valuable.