Everyone has different styles of showing support, so our list of gifts for cancer patients undergoing chemo will cover 3 different ways you can show your support in a way you prefer. Below are great gift ideas for chemo patients.
Gift Ideas for Someone Going Through Chemo
- Practical gifts
- Games and Puzzles
- Food and Drink related gifts
- Chemo Gift Baskets: What are they? What to put in them?
- Cheerful gifts
“The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention”
-Oscar Wilde
Practical Gifts for Chemo Patients
Below is the list items that provide utility to the patient during the course of the treatment. All of these make great gifts for someone having chemo. If you’re looking for chemo basket ideas, the gifts in this list are the most essential.
Comfort gifts for chemo patients
- A fluffy warm blanket – These are highly sought out and appreciated by chemo patients. The chemo blankets most hospitals provide are often thin and insufficient. The patient will appreciate a warmer, bigger blanket. Patients commonly take these blankets with them to chemo for added comfort. Click chemo blankets to have a look at some good examples! This is a set that also has other items which are recommended in this article.
- Food Delivery gift cards – from UberEats or similar services (Disclaimer: Only purchase foods that are advised by their doctor. Before purchasing any food for the patient, make sure to ask what foods they may and cannot eat based on the doctor’s instructions). Chemotherapy can be taxing on the body and the patients may feel exhausted most of the day, so having discount cards for food delivery services can be extremely beneficial. Patients on chemo feel cravings for certain foods while other foods make them feel nauseous. Thus, it’s great for allowing them to pick from a restaurant of their choice and having it delivered to them so they don’t have to leave the bed. More about food-related gifts can be found in the section below.
- A small portable metal fan – These are highly useful as cancer patients often get hot flashes due to chemo. Make sure it’s a quiet fan so the patient can leave it on at night while sleeping.
Portable fans are very handy for chemo patients
- Chemo Sleep Caps – As mentioned before, chemotherapy leaves the patient sensitive to cold and hot. A soft chemo sleep cap is great, especially if the fabric is temperature regulating.
- Hand made Chemo Hat Patterns – Handmade gifts can have much more emotional value to them! For more information check out our guide Free Chemo Hat Patterns.
- Long cable phone chargers – Great utility and highly sought out by chemotherapy patients.
- Epsom Salts with ginger – These are used by chemo patients as bath salts. There are various benefits of Epsom salts for chemo patients. Epsom salts, when dissolved in bathwater, help soothe the taxing effects of chemotherapy. Additionally, the ginger in it is great for soothing nausea.
- Chapstick – lips can get especially dry during chemo. Thus, chapstick makes a useful and much-needed gift during chemotherapy. Choose unscented lip balms with naturally soothing ingredients. For example, choose hemp seed oil, cocoa butter and calendula.
- Pillow – pillows bring huge comfort to those going through cancer. In fact, there are many types of pillows available for breast cancer recovery. There are pillows for seat belts, armpits, armrests, breast support. Plus there are pillows for neck support, the lower back, knees, and between breasts.
- Socks – warm fluffy socks make an excellent gift for chemo patients. Often, they spend many hours without moving around much. So, the more sources of heat they can get the better.
- Drain Cleaner – Chemo can cause all the body hairs to fall and this can clog the drain in the shower.
- Hats for cancer patients – Chemo leaves the skin extra-sensitive. While technically all hats can be worn by chemo patients, the tag, the stitching, and the roughness of the fabric can be irritating on the skin for those undergoing chemo. The patient will need comfortable headwear designed to feel comfortable for those undergoing chemo. You can get a chemo hat and several chemo scarves in a gift box. Ask the doctors the type of chemotherapy the patient will be going through. Not all types of chemotherapy cause hair loss. See our Chemo Hat Buying Guide for more detailed advice on choosing chemotherapy headwear. These can make awesome gifts for women going through chemo. We also have a dedicated category for chemo hats for men.
- Sea-Bands – These are wrist bands made to relieve nausea. These may take some of the burdens of chemo.
- Slippers – a luxurious pair of warm slippers are a comforting gift for cancer patients. Ensure that they cover the whole foot and are anti-slip.
Games and Puzzles
- Adult Coloring Books – These are made with stress-relieving patterns and are commonly enjoyed by chemo patients. Can help pass the time and de-stress.
- A kindle – helps them pass the time and is lighter than holding a book.
- Solving Puzzles – Puzzles of any kind can be a stimulating way to pass time. This is great as it can be both a solo or a group activity. Related: Fun activities for chemo patients.
- Playing cards
Food and Drink Related gifts:
- Gifts cards for food delivery services – (ie UberEats, GrubHub) We’ve mentioned how this is very useful, allowing the patient to choose where to eat from can go a long way because on certain days the cancer patient may be craving certain types of foods, plus it can get expensive to order food deliveries a lot. Chemotherapy causes exhaustion, so food deliveries straight to the bed are extra appreciated.
- Cook for them or bring them food for the freezer – Preferably something more exciting than what the hospital provides.
- Buy Food Care packages for patients – Check out https://www.spoonfulofcomfort.com/ they are a gourmet soup delivery service with vegan and gluten-free options, they specialize in delivering nutritious gourmet food for patients which you can add to your own chemo survival kit. This one is a great choice!
- Home-made Lemonade
- Tea samples from around the world
- Gift cards for their favorite coffee shop
Chemo Gift Baskets: What are they? What to put in them?
Chemo gift baskets, also referred to as Chemo Care Packages are a box of goods specially selected to meet the needs of the chemotherapy patient. Any items deemed as helpful to the patient can be included in the box, such as the items listed in this article. They typically contain:
- Moisturizers for dry skin
- Energizing snacks
- Medicine to ease nausea
- Thick soft pair of socks
- Soft sleep hats designed for chemo patients
- Coloring books for adults and coloring pencils
- Tissues
Cheerful gifts for Chemo patients:
- Gift Cards: If you know the patient likes a particular place very much, getting them a gift card for that place can cheer them up. The great thing about gift cards is that the patient can choose what they want to get and treat themselves. We have gift cards for chemo hats if you are interested.
- Don’t buy Flowers: This can be the type of gift people commonly think of when visiting a cancer patient, but there’s more to it! Read on as flowers may not be ideal for every cancer patient. Firstly; we advise against flowers because some patients should not come in contact with flowers as the spores can put them at risk. Chemo patients already have weakened resistance. There are a few more things to be cautious of. Chemotherapy leaves the users sensitive to a lot of smells and this can cause nausea. It’s one of the worst gifts one can buy for cancer patients.
- Books, Puzzles – These can keep loved ones occupied.
- Make a personalized calendar – include pictures of fun things you’ve done together, trips you’ve been on and memorable moments. This makes a good gift for cancer patients in hospitals. For instance, they can use it to count down the days until the end of their chemo treatment!
- Letters, notes, cards: These can be highly personalized gifts with a message of your choosing that can help support your loved ones. These can be uplifting during treatment and a constant reminder for the patient that they have people who care for them deeply.
- Offer to drive them or help them with their kids and/or pets: Just being there for them and helping them with these tasks can cheer the patients up more than physical gifts. Sometimes cancer patients just need some space for themselves and taking care of their children, kids for them may be the best thing you can do for them.
- Offer to clean their house: Chemotherapy causes high sensitivity to smell which can trigger nausea. Everyday chores we do like: taking out the trash, doing the dishes can be very difficult for chemo patients for this reason. You can offer to do these for them, they will highly appreciate it!
Simply being there
Cancer is tough both physically and mentally. Visiting them and being there for them can be very uplifting for cancer patients.
Remember, a simple gesture can be made much larger by the amount of thought that goes into it.
We hope you liked our cancer care package ideas. If you think this post would help somebody don’t forget to share it with them or on social media.
Best wishes from Masumi Headwear!
