A hairstylist has launched a dating website for people who can't have sex after aggressive cancer treatments took away her ability to enjoy intercourse, which made disclosure difficult on dates.
Laura Brashier started the site after stage 4 cervical cancer had her undergoing extensive chemotherapy and radiation treatments. These left Ms. Brashier, 50, with scar tissue that made sex extremely painful.
The California woman was understandably wary of dating because she didn't want to broach the subject of sex.
"I was having an attraction with someone at one time, and I was going to tell him, but then realized it wasn't going to happen. Who would sign up for that?" Ms. Brashier told ABC News.
She hopes the website, which launched Aug. 1 and now has some 1,500 members, will offer peace of mind to others suffering from sexual side effects. She's also using the venture herself: "It's just the freedom of not having it on my mind when I am talking to a man," she told ABC.
Cancer and its treatment often affect intimacy, according to the Canadian Cancer Society.
Aside from the extreme fatigue, body image issues and depression that often accompany cancer, many patients suffer from low sex drive, erectile dysfunction, premature menopause and painful intercourse. Beyond those suffering the side effects of radiation and chemotherapy, Ms. Brashier hopes her website will help people suffering from traumatic injuries, invasive surgery and birth defects.
Prior to 2date4love, dating websites that catered to the stigmatized were mostly reserved for people with STDs to disclose, including STDsoulmates.com, PositiveSingles.com and DatingWithHerpes.org.
At Ms. Brashier's site, users upload a photo and publicize their interests, be it nightlife, career, family or travel, just as they would on Plenty of Fish or Lavalife.
As the hair stylist explains on her site, "I still have all the same sexual desires I had before cancer."
Zosia Bielski