Single Baby Boomer
Prostate And Breast Cancer Survivors

Turning 60 often brings on many health issues that weren’t present earlier. Heart attack, stroke, middle age diabetes, and certain types of cancer are the most common. Not only do these diseases affect a person’s physical health, but also can take a huge toll on their mental health, and sometimes more so if the person is single.

Although the survival rate for many types of cancer has greatly improved, it still takes time to heal physically and mentally. Two cancers that can really affect a person’s feelings about themselves sexually are breast cancer and prostate cancer. A person, who is in a long term, happy relationship will often have the support they need to overcome the loss they are dealing with. A single person, or someone who ends up single because of the stress around the cancer, may have a much harder time to feel good about themselves sexually. Some people may even think that their sex life has ended.

It all becomes a matter of attitude. A cancer survivor is not a victim, but if they think they are, they will be. The fear of cancer is still very present in a lot of people. Even the word cancer is scary to some. Singles who survive breast or prostate cancer often won’t mention it because they worry others will reject them.

Some people may run from a cancer survivor but realize that isn’t the type of person a survivor wants to be around anyway. A positive attitude will help the survivor accept that he or she is still a whole person. It doesn’t mean it will be any easier to go through the steps of grieving and loss. It just means that there is still life after cancer. It’s important for survivors to talk about what they have gone through.

A single person might have more trouble sharing that info with the people around him or her. They may not have a strong enough bond with friends that they feel they can share what they are dealing with. There are many support groups out there for breast and prostate cancer survivors and it is a good place to start.

When a single cancer survivor becomes interested in a member of the opposite sex, there is sometimes the feeling that they have to tell what has happened to them up front. They don’t want to be rejected later on in the bedroom.

It’s a difficult place to be. If they are just looking for sex to see if they “still work,” even with aids, then maybe it’s the way to go. If they are looking for a long-term relationship, then it’s important to eventually bring information about the cancer into the conversation before the relationship involves sex.

The biggest hurdle for a single cancer survivor is to be accepted for whom he is now and that has to begin within himself. If a person cannot share and accept and eventually talk about what has happened, he or she will be unable to move on. Instead of eventually getting into a healthy, sexual relationship again, the cancer survivor may opt for Internet contact rather than a real live person. It’s a choice but not necessarily the healthiest one.

This article is to make people more aware that there can be a healthy sex life after breast or prostate cancer. If survivors are willing to look at that, their life and their partner’s life will be much fuller as a result. For more information on

Breast cancer go to:
www.breastcancer.org

Prostate cancer go to:
http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/cancer/treatment/264.html