Dying author Amy Krouse Rosenthal writes dating profile for husband Jason

He is a man with salt and pepper hair, who loves to cook, enjoys concerts, painting, travel, and is known for his sweet, romantic gestures.

These are just some of the things included in Jason Rosenthal's dating profile, featured in The New York Times.

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The profile was written by his wife of 26 years, American author Amy Krouse​ Rosenthal​, who is dying of ovarian cancer, in the hope he can find new love.

"I am wrapping this up on Valentine's Day, and the most genuine, non-vase-oriented gift I can hope for is that the right person reads this, finds Jason, and another love story begins."

Rosenthal, who has written 28 children's books, books for adults, and the memoir Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, wrote the profile for her husband in the famed Modern Love section, describing him as an "easy man to fall in love with".

"First, the basics: He is 5-foot-10, 160 pounds, with salt-and-pepper hair and hazel eyes," Rosenthal wrote of her husband, the father of her three adult children.

"He is an absolutely wonderful father. Ask anyone. See that guy on the corner? Go ahead and ask him; he'll tell you. Jason is compassionate - and he can flip a pancake.

"Jason paints. I love his artwork. I would call him an artist except for the law degree that keeps him at his downtown office most days from 9 to 5. Or at least it did before I got sick.

"If you're looking for a dreamy, let's-go-for-it travel companion, Jason is your man. 

"He also has an affinity for tiny things: taster spoons, little jars, a mini-sculpture of a couple sitting on a bench, which he presented to me as a reminder of how our family began.

"Here is the kind of man Jason is: He showed up at our first pregnancy ultrasound with flowers. This is a man who, because he is always up early, surprises me every Sunday morning by making some kind of oddball smiley face out of items near the coffeepot: a spoon, a mug, a banana."

Rosenthal described being diagnosed with ovarian cancer in September, after going to hospital with a suspected case of appendicitis.

"This is when we entered what I came to think of as Plan "Be," existing only in the present. As for the future, allow me to introduce you to the gentleman of this article, Jason Brian Rosenthal."

The column, which was published on Friday, has been shared worldwide and translated into many languages.

Readers have also left hundreds of comments, sharing stories about their own experiences with love, death and grief.

One commenter, David Olasov, said when his mother was dying, she compiled a list of eligible women for his father, and wrote menus for dinner parties.

"It was, as is your article, permission to a beloved spouse both to grieve and to keep living."

Ryan, a 24-year-old, said the column had made him realise what kind of husband he wants to be in the future.

"I greatly appreciate you, Amy, for writing this and giving me a perspective on what I hope to strive for one day."

An Australian woman, Rachelle, wrote that the author's "adventurous soul" was captured in the column.

"It is you I see in all those lines, not just your husband, and I hope you are so proud of the life you have created."

Fairfax Media