Wait Until You Hear How Cancer Affects Relationships

Cancer patients are at a risk of losing more than their health. Their romantic relationships go through a hard time and eventually go up in smokes. It is sad to hear confessions from victims whose marriage collapsed due to the uninvited disease. Cancer affects relationships mainly in a negative way. The marriages do not break down due to infidelity or lack of passion but due to cancer. This is the time many patients need comfort and love from their spouses. Mary one of the cancer patients explains what happened when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer. The doctor in the room ordered her husband to give her a hug since she needed a shoulder to lean on. Amazingly her husband moved his chair away from her with disgust.


The reaction was like she had some contagious disease such as leprosy. This was not easy for Mary since she had not anticipated such kind of behavior from her husband. He was an affectionate soul mate until it was her turn to witness how cancer affects relationships. It was even worse when she started chemotherapy. Her hair got loose and she added some more weight. Her husband's response was that of dislike and irritation. He complained nonstop about her falling hair saying that it was all over their bed. One morning he just said the dreadful words and left. He said that he did not love her anymore and that he was leaving to start a life somewhere else. She doesn't suffer the wrath alone. The majority of cancer patients have confessed on an effect of cancer on their relationships.

It is sad that they even rarely discuss about cancer with their spouses. The fear and shock caused by cancer affects relationships especially their sex life. Sex is about intimacy. In most cases the partners of the cancer patients avoid any body contact even though we all know it is not contagious. The fate of a sexless marriage is usually divorce. The truth is people place so much value on sex and would rather not love if their is no sex. No wonder they say love is different from sex. The fear imposed by cancer provoke negative behavior and attitude from partners of cancer patients.

Cancer affects relationships due to the side effects involved in curing it. The hair loss takes a lot of the patient's self esteem. People tend to feel unattractive and they feel they are not worthy of their partners. Their partner might be among the few supportive soul mates but the patients still feel they do not deserve them. Their self esteem becomes a problem in the sexual relationship. Emotional counseling can help a lot to restore confidence and self esteem in cancer patients. Clinical psychologists should treat cancer patient's relationship as a compulsory therapy. People should also talk to their partners about the disease and touch on the possibility of death. Cancer should be treated like a major family issue. Let the kids know that you need their support. It is not always cancer affects a relationship to the negative. Deborah says that closeness and more intimacy was developed once she was diagnosed with breast cancer. With the threat of death the couple suddenly realized how much they mean to each other. They wanted to spend every available moment together. They have promised to fight the disease together as a couple.