A woman who received a terminal cancer diagnosis chose to spend her final years in an unexpected and deeply personal way. Molly Kochan, first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, went through years of treatment, including chemotherapy, radiation, and a double mastectomy. Despite her efforts, doctors told her in 2015 that the cancer had spread to her bones, brain, and liver.

Instead of traveling the world or tackling a bucket list, Molly focused on something very different: reclaiming her sense of joy and identity through sexual freedom. After ending what she described as a loveless 15-year marriage, she began using dating apps and embraced a new chapter in her life. She later shared that she slept with 183 men before her passing in 2019.

Molly didn’t keep her experiences private. She launched the popular podcast Dying for Sex with her best friend Nikki Boyer and wrote a memoir titled Screw Cancer: Becoming Whole. Through both projects, she spoke openly about illness, desire, and the need to feel alive in the face of devastating news.

“Sex makes me feel alive,” she said. “It distracts me from being sick.” She explained that her diagnosis pushed her to stop holding back and to explore parts of herself she had long ignored. “I felt like a teenager again,” she added.

While her story didn’t include a final romantic partner, Molly found something more meaningful. “I did fall in love,” she said. “I’m in love with me.”

After her death, a heartfelt message she wrote was shared on her blog, offering the life lessons she discovered during her final years.