"My diagnosis has made dating challenging and more difficult than they were before."
You don't want to squander your time or the time of the person you're spending the evening with.
When I was first diagnosed, dating was at the back of my mind. It wasn't important to me. It was on the back burner because I had so much else going on, and it wasn't a priority. It wasn't until, like seven or eight months after my diagnosis that I started to think ‘Ok, I've got through this change. Now let's try dating again.’
"I don't want to come out as a person who just has cancer."
Therefore, I wouldn't disclose my illness in my dating app bio. I believe that without you doing anything or saying a word, someone's opinion of you alters the moment they find out about the condition you have.
You are instantly seen as having restrictions about what you can achieve, such as not being able to have a successful profession or have a family, rather than as having a strong-minded, outgoing, and outgoing nature. Based on your cancer diagnosis, everything undergoes review.
They automatically think it’s a negative aspect of who you are and what you do. But I try to show them that despite the limitations and diagnosis, you can still live a normal life and do normal things.
“I want someone, who is accepting and someone ! can trust.”
Trust is a big thing for me. I'm trusting that person with a big amount of detail. It can be a difficult thing for them to process which I get. It's a lot to take on board, but you want to be open and honest because once you've told them you've opened Pandora's box. There's no going back in any situation around it.
Everyone deserves love and companionship, and we need to have open conversations about the impact that a cancer diagnosis can have on dating and relationships 💚
Learn more about our dating and cancer campaign.
