Dying For Sex podcast follows terminally ill woman who left her husband to explore sexuality and 'reclaim her body'
41-year-old says sex is a 'great distraction from being sick'
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Your support makes all the difference.A woman diagnosed with stage IV terminal breast cancer has documented the sexual adventures she embarked on to “feel alive” after leaving her husband in a new podcast.
Dying For Sex follows the life of Nikki Boyer’s best friend, only identified as Molly, who was diagnosed with cancer at 41 - after previously beating the disease in 2011.
In the six-part series, which concludes on 11 March, Molly explained that she decided to leave her 15-year marriage after the second cancer diagnosis because the couple's sex life had never gotten back on track after her first battle with breast cancer, which required her to undergo a double mastectomy, radiation, chemotherapy, and reconstructive surgery.
“Sexually, we had difficulties before cancer came along,” Molly said of her marriage. “Right before I got diagnosed, I was kind of looking to recharge our sex life… and then cancer showed up.”
When she was diagnosed again, Molly was put on a new medication that had the unexpected consequence of increasing her libido.
She recalled that, at the time, her body “needed to be touched” - so she left her husband.
In the podcast, she and Boyer document the sexual encounters that follow while Molly is undergoing cancer treatment, which include receiving a personal massage and engaging in online dating.
At one point, Molly explained that sex “makes me feel alive - and it’s a great distraction from being sick.” She also said that the dates helped her feel alive and “reclaim her body”.
According to Boyer, who told the New York Post that she suggested the podcast in 2018 after meeting Molly for lunch only to find her friend had been on two dates that morning already, the idea came about after realising that “sex and illness are rarely discussed together”.
However, the series isn’t just about sex - the pair also discuss the effects of the illness and the loss of identity that can come with a terminal illness diagnoses, as well as how sex helped Molly come to terms with what was happening to her.
According to the Daily Mail, Molly passed away last year at the age of 45.
As for what Boyer hopes people take away from the podcast, she told the New York Post that she wants the series to inspire “people to nurture their relationships”.
She said: “People can think all day about what they would do, but you never know what life will throw at you and how you will react... What’s on your bucket list? What do you want to live for?
“My hope is that people nurture their relationships. Don’t wait for someone to tell you they’re dying.”
On social media, people have praised the podcast for its honesty and inspiring message.
"Everything about this podcast is incredible," one person wrote on Instagram.
Another said: "What a beautiful way to honour your best friend, currently listening to episode two and I just love this show."
The final episode of Dying For Sex will be released on 11 March.
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