DIY CANCER CARE PACKAGES

Gift ideas are as unique as the people who give them and those who receive them. There is definitely no one size fits all answer. 

One of the best ways to find the best gift for a friend with cancer is to simply ask. If you are not able to ask for the moment, a good place to start is a crossword puzzle, nausea-management tools, safety and convenience tools are all great gifts for cancer patients.

Treatment for cancer usually involves surgery and other lengthy hospital stays and visits. Time waiting and boredom are a big issue, laying down and being immobile is another. Having the right tools, such as extension cords, usb plugs, a charged phone are recommended as cancer patient gifts and go a long way in entertaining, distracting and helping to pass the time.

At Viva Kits, we took recommendations from hundreds of get-well gifts and put them into a useful gift basket in the form of a care package.

That is why we took a gift tool-kit approach to it. We researched what you had to say and what medical professionals recommended and verified all that again with people who have gone through it.

Managing the multitude of side effects and tailoring them to each individual case can be difficult as every patient is different and needs change through time. Our chemo care kits contain many cancer gift ideas.

Each individual is different and requires different a treatment approach. It is difficult to choose the right gift for a friend or loved one with cancer.

Ultimately the cancer patient and their caregiver are the best to know. Next best are friends who care and know the patient.

Sometimes a phone call, letter, text any thought passed on to them can brighten up a moment, an hour or a day.

Careful with humour. Not everyone has the same taste in it and even with the best intentions at heart, it's easy to say something wrong. Attempts to lighten the mood should be done tactfully and respectfully. Some prefer no humour at all. 

So the best way to figure it out is to keep a loving and supportive dialogue and not just at diagnosis or surgery but on a continual basis. Sometimes choosing the right gift for a cancer patient is simply saying hello when many others choose to shy away and avoid the topic.

Chocolate, flowers, candy, are all tempting but be advised that they often can't be used as sugar is generally avoided, fragrances do not help nausea and are frequently not tolerated at hospitals.

It is best to call ahead and check with the specific health facility ward. Some are fine with it while others will turn them away as policy. 

It is best to call ahead and check with the specific health facility ward. Some are fine with it while others will turn flowers and plants away as policy.

Flowers are fairly simple default for many health/life related gift giving occasions. Flowers are a lovely get well soon gift but require some checking.

There is a lot of debate about the safety of having flowers in hospitals as the possibility of transmitting germs, insects to patients with compromised immune systems is an issue. Since patients with immune issues like haematology myeloma or leukaemia are at higher risk, most such hospital wards forbid plants.

Many hospitals do not accept flowers and plants due to smell. That is why nurse stations are often well supplied with flowers. If you are unsure, simply check the hospital website or call the department where you loved on is staying.

Alternatively, have a look at our gift baskets for cancer patients. The components were carefully curated so you can have an alternative gift for people with cancer.

When going through treatment for cancer, chemo and surgery, schedules can be erratic and unexpected. The best approach is to simply ask the caregiver or patient. Checking with the care facility for visiting hours and dates is a good second check.

Other than the treatment timing issue, it is best to check with the patient so as to not interfere with rest or sleep periods. Insomnia and stress cause patients to not follow a 'traditional' schedule so do not take it personally if the patient is too tired or otherwise unable to have visitors.

Immune issues also call for spacial consideration so if you are feeling under the weather, sick, cold, flu, or have any symptoms, it is best to let the caregiver and patient know ahead of time. Many patients avoid seeing visitors who are ill simply as a precaution, nothing personal.

One of the strongest demonstrations of affection can be well-wishes and attempts to make light of the situation.

Discussing cancer diagnosis can be tricky. Try to avoid statements like "I had the same thing you did and I'm fine..." or "I know someone who..." or I am sure you will be fine...". These well intended comments are often not well received.

Giving thoughtful gifts to someone with cancer involves understanding and researching their situation. Finding the physical and mental side-effects of cancer and cancer treatment and addressing those specifically often goes a long way. If you know nausea is an issue, flowers will not help while anti-nausea treats such as the ones we include in our cancer care packs may.

Having looked into and understood the side-effects the patient is going through takes the gift giving effort to a different level. We chose to focus on the tools that patients can benefit from and use through chemo, surgery and recovery.

Chemotherapy affects the entire body.

Unlike surgery or radiotherapy, the side-effects are wide-ranging and can affect the entire body rather than be focused on one spot. We write a lot about it in our Blog.

Rather than researching each side effect and putting together a gift basket for chemo yourself, we made is easier to provide a comprehensive tool kit of useful products that patients recommend.

Sometimes gifts to pass the time, gifts to reduce nausea or keep the patient connected and entertained are the best option for when the patient is going through time-intensive treatments that can last many hours per session. Our aftercare kits for chemo patients contain at least 35 items per kit. Hopefully none will be needed but most often they are.

Nausea is often a big concern so we sourced non-scented products, easy to digest foods, nausea relieving treats, organic herbal teas in non-bleached tea bags and much more.

Radiotherapy can affect a specific area on the body and cause severe skin reactions along with other side-effects. Researching your loved one's specific need is important in helping with some relief. 

Our Radiotherapy care packages are designed to address general cancer needs as well as specific ways to alleviate skin issues.