Gifting for Cancer Diagnoses
Table of Contents
Purpose
Any diagnosis and prognosis will likely be overwhelming and generate complexities for a family. Below is some practical guidance for putting together a gift for someone recently diagnosed with cancer.
Special thank you to Sherrie Burchfield, experienced Oncology nurse, for input and feedback!
Gift Ideas
Inspirational & Encouraging Notes
This is pure customization, yet a powerful gift. Strength and emotions will ebb and flow for anyone during this time. A reminder of love, inspiration, and encouragement can be a powerful pick-me-up for patients during their low points. These notes can be hand-made or using notecards from your local gift shop. For ideas, consider:
Themed notes in envelopes with “Open When” guidance (i.e. “open when feeling sad”, “open when feeling afraid”, etc)
Cards with randomly chosen inspirational quotes or silly jokes
Get artistic, creative note cards on Etsy or at your local card store.
Mitten and Sock Ice Packs
Depending on the type of chemotherapy course, patients are advised by doctors to purchase two sets of mitten and sock ice packs to help prevent and treat neuropathy (the dysfunction of nerves resulting in numbness or tingling). These sets can become pricey, but in certain cases are vital to a more comfortable experience receiving treatment. Pair this gift with an electric heating pad or lap blanket to keep the patient warm while treating their hands and feet.
These therapy cold mittens and socks are an example of what oncology medical staff recommend. Because they do thaw, staff recommends 2 (two) sets of each.
Things to Keep Warm With
Any treatment requiring someone to sit still in a climate controlled environment can lead a patient to feel uncomfortably cold, especially if they’re icing their feet and hands to prevent or treat neuropathy. This is why I’d recommend adding a heating pad or warm, travel-friendly blanket in any gift tote or basket for a cancer patient. Beyond the physical comfort it would bring, going a step beyond and personalizing this gift can bring them emotional comfort, too.
Some soft, comfy, warm clothing options might be slip-on slippers, fuzzy / inspirational socks, soft hat or scarf, and / or a shoulder wrap or poncho.
These tube blankets are highly reviewed and best sellers for travelers (Etsy link).
Port Pillows
Patients with medical ports or pacemakers can benefit from a small cushion to put between their port and things which naturally rub or press on that area (i.e. seatbelts). These small, lightweight items can be added easily to gifts, and can be left strategically in cars or in bags to ensure they’re where they’ll be needed the most.
Port pillows can readily be searched on Etsy for personality and fun cushions.
Notepad, Light, and Pen
Throughout treatment, there will be a lot going on for a patient and their family to keep track of. Often questions will come up late at night or they’ll want to track their reactions or any special notes for their medical support staff. Personalize this gift by purchasing at a local paper or book store.
Activities for Treatment
This will take personalization and creativity. What do they like to do, and can you help them find a way to do it during their treatments? Some ideas to help the brainstorming are below, but be sure to customize this as each person will be different.
Hands-on ideas (think travel-friendly - what can they put in a bag and bring along with them easily):
Brain teasers, like crosswords, word searches, or Sudoku
Coloring (consider travel cases for tools needed)
Knitting, cross-stitching, or crochet work (I’m a huge fan of this travel bag for my yarn projects)
Hands-free(ish) ideas (maybe this is in the form of high-quality ear buds, list of recommendations, and / or gift cards):
Audiobooks, podcasts, or music
Streaming entertainment
A note on ear buds: having a balance of noise cancellation and background amplification is a key feature, in my opinion. In some cases, a user will want to hear what is going on around them. Because of this, I recommend the higher end buds. Additionally, going bluetooth frees up the user from dealing with pesky cables. While both sets of ear buds have cross-platform compatibility, they work easiest with their specific platforms.
Apple users: Air Pod Pros
Non-Apple users: Samsung Galaxy Buds, Pro
I’m not linking the above because the versions are always updating, but know that it’s absolutely worth the extra money for the Pro versions of the ear buds. You can typically find these anywhere where electronics are sold (i.e. Best Buy, Target, Amazon, etc).
“Nurse Bait” or “Nurse Bribe Jar”
This can made at home, and is essentially a jar, basket, or bowl of snacks for the medical staff caring for the patient. Add a note to encourage the staff to help themselves, and fill (and refill) it with classics and favorites.
There are snack box options from specialized or local vendors if you want to go the store-bought-option. Please note, smaller, walk-away type serving options are likely the easiest and most popular for medical staff. Something they can quickly munch on and enjoy, rather than something requiring plates / napkins, etc.
Food Delivery or Cleaning Services
Treatments can be draining for everyone in a family. Alleviate the stresses of shopping, cleaning, cooking, or other fundamental household tasks with gift certificates to food delivery or cleaning services. Be sure to check that these services are available in the area the patient lives in.
Example food delivery options: Grubhub or Uber Eats for take-out; Instacart for groceries
Fun Hydration
A practical, reliable water bottle that is easy to open but entirely leak (and condensation)-proof will help patients keep hydrated even when access to water / drinks is limited.
A Carrying Bag
Adding in a bag, whatever the type, will help them get all of their necessities to and from treatment. In order to personalize, think of what all they will be likely to bring - do they have electronics and a need for pockets for chargers and with cushions? Do they need the space to bring crafting tools, like knitting needles or colored pencils? Do they have the strength to carry the bag on one shoulder? Or would a book bag or wheeled bag make more sense? While there are many tote ideas out there, I encourage you to think through the practicality, and then customize from there.
Travel-Sized Necessities
Items such as skin care, lozenges to settle nausea, hard candies, or chapstick in travel-friendly containers can be nice additions to a gift for patients who need sustainable access to these items when moving to and from treatment.
Notes on Execution
The most important piece on execution is to listen to your loved one. They’re losing a lot of control in their well-being and there will be a lot of moving pieces to any treatment. Listening to their needs will be the most important part of gifting. Not all of the above will apply to them, or they may already have certain items they love, so take no offense and always provide gift receipts where it makes sense.
When purchasing any fabrics, be sure to consider allergens and skin-irritants.
I personally believe gifts should be scent free. Essential oils are a common gift, but stick with sprays that can be used on-demand. Steer away from scented lotions, balms, or fabrics. If you’re making gifts, consider the scent transfer from any personal products you use (i.e. lotions, perfumes, or detergent).
Consider ease-of-use - if a patient suffers from neuropathy or has significant / complex travel to and from treatments, gifts that take these points into consideration will get the most practical use.
Feedback
I would love to hear what you think! Please comment below! I will keep this post updated as time passes.
Versioning
2022-08-22 v. 01 Initial version; no affiliate links
