Cancer Gifts | It's Hard To Know What A Loved One Needs or Where To Begin
Many of us want to help support a loved one or friend who has been diagnosed with cancer but it is hard to know what they actually need and it's hard to know where to begin. Having worked with hundreds of women undergoing chemotherapy, I thought I would share three helpful tips to help you find best cancer gifts for your friend or loved one.
From the moment the word "cancer" enters your loved one's world, it consumes them. Cancer sort of takes over your life. I have noticed that it is very hard for them to have a break from cancer. Between the diagnosis, scheduling, bills, and fears. In a moment, your loved life quickly becomes all about cancer. They lose their personal routines & they are filled with uncertainty. The BIGGEST gift you can give a loved one is helping them maintain the life they had before cancer. Help them do more of the things that they love to do. What are their favorite things to do- hiking, painting, reading, cooking. Try to figure out ways to help them do more of these things and get them out of their cancer world. If they don't feel up for it, do these things with them and when you are with them try to redirect the conversation away from cancer. Yes, big decisions will need to be made but sometimes they just need to wait.
From there, I would focus on items that will help them be comfortable during and after treatments. Before, searching the web for lists, I would speak with their care coordinator or nurse, and ask them what they will need during treatment and post-treatment. There are so many different kinds of cancers and the needs will vary greatly so would rely on the support of your loved ones' care team prior to ordering tons of things that they don't need & you can't return.
If your loved one is going to have hair loss, the best gift you can get them is The Dream Cap by Encelia. When you lose all your hair, you're head quickly gets very cold. I personally tried to wear a chemo cap, and a bamboo sleep cap but none of them would stay on my head at night. I would wake up in the middle of the night freezing, searching for my hat.
Frustrated, I was inspired to design a stylish, comfortable sleep hat for the modern baldie. The Dream Cap is a modern chemo cap with a built-in sleep mask that is cozy, chic & stays put! Our sleep mask is lightweight & light-blocking so you can sleep well anywhere - chemo treatments, hospital stays, and at-home recovery. To help support loved ones, every hat includes a fabric pen so you can write love notes inside the hat! It's really such a thoughtful gift that was designed by a baldie who developed alopecia universalis (complete and total hair loss) during my second pregnancy.
Xoxo,
Allison
