Marianne and Jeanna Ford discussing the Hulu Series, Dying for Sex, a true story about a 42 year old woman with recurrent breast cancer.
Several patients told Dr. Ford to watch this. One patient told Jeanna she felt “seen and heard” as this was the first thing to represent what she was going through as a metastatic cancer patient.
Why did they find it so powerful? Listen to our interview with Jeanna as she and Marianne discuss the facets of the terminal metastatic cancer journey that the show explores.
In this Episode:
- 03:06 – Road Trip: Maine, Moxy Soda, and Burnt Trailer
- 05:54 – Recipe of the Week: Whoopie Pie
- 06:53 – Discussion of the Hulu Series “Dying for Sex” With Dr. Jeanna Ford
- 45:14 – Outro
What is “Dying for Sex” About?
The series is fairly closely follows the true story of Molly Kochan and her best friend Nikki Boyer.
When Molly was diagnosed as terminal with Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer at age 42, she realizes for the first time that “life is short” is more than some stupid cliché. With this new ticking-clock hanging over her head Molly make a decision . . . to start living HER LIFE. She leaves her husband and goes on a quest, searching for life’s answers via a sexual journey of exploration. She juggles dozens of online suitors and brings kinks and fetishes into the real world, all while dealing with the ups and downs of her cancer treatment.
Molly Kochan said:
“In my experience, many people in the ‘death world’ don’t talk about sex. Possibly for many reasons ranging from embarrassment to body denial,” she wrote. “Scars, medication side effects, lack of information from doctors, all of these things make it challenging to want to connect to the body sexually. But being touched and finding intimacy through a diagnosis similar to mine can be powerful and vital.”
What Does the Show Teach Us?
Jeanna and Marianne talk about a lot of points that the episodes cover, from the need for intimacy, end of life wishes, the impact of abuse, communication needs with healthcare team members, and perspectives of not just the person with cancer, but family members, friends, and caregivers.
Cancer healthcare teams, mothers, caregivers and terminal cancer patients are all encouraged to watch this show.
Our Guest: Dr. Jeanna Ford DNP, APRN, ACNS-BC, ACHPN, FPCN, FCNS
Dr. Jeanna Ford is a Clinical Nurse Specialist in the field of palliative care and hospice. Dr. Ford is a national speaker, published author, and focuses her clinical expertise in the area of cultural sensitivity at the end of life with an emphasis on indigenous populations. She currently works as the Clinic Director and APRN for the University of New Mexico Hospital’s outpatient palliative care program as well as serves as faculty for the Center to Advance Palliative Care and for the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association.
Dr. Ford shares her perspective from her work in hospice and palliative care, including Native American and Hispanic communities.
Related Content:
- S2E32: How to Find Intimacy When a Partner Has Serious Illness
- S4E12: Inclusive End-of-Life Care for LGBTQ+ Individuals
- S2E8: Learn to thrive with a Colostomy
- A free guide on sexual health for women
- The Many Faces of Grief
References
- Moxie Soda: Great Or Gross? It’s A Maine Thing
- Have You Tried This Maine Cocktail? ‘The Burnt Trailer’
Resources
- Moxie – Matthews Museum of Maine Heritage
- The Burnt Trailer cocktail is popular for being painful
- Watch Dying for Sex Streaming Online | Hulu
- Everything Leads to This – the Blog of Molly Kochan
- Screw Cancer: Becoming Whole by Molly Kochan. Book available on Amazon, https://a.co/d/7XtelvL
- Matzo M, Ehiemua Pope L, Whalen J. An integrative review of sexual health issues in advanced incurable disease. J Palliat Med. 2013 Jun;16(6):686-91. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2012.0416. Epub 2013 Mar 28. PMID: 23537196.
- How to Address Sexuality and Intimacy with People Living with a Serious Illness: Five screening questions clinicians can ask patients to understand the impact of their serious illness on intimacy and relationships.
https://blog.feedspot.com/palliative_care_podcasts/
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