As the title says, Cancer Sucks! When I was contacted to write about this topic, I was a little hesitant. Not because I didn’t want to help, because I didn’t want to drag out all of the bad memories from the past. I sat down and decided, I needed to do it. Now of course, I am supposed to tell you that this blog post is part of a paid SocialMoms and Giving Comfort blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own however, that has nothing to do with my story or why I am choosing to write it.
In 2000, I lost my Nana to Ovarian Cancer. Having been the first person that I ever lost, whom I was extremely close to, it really stirred up my life a bit. I was only 22 and really didn’t know what to do with the entire thing. She was an important part of my life and one of the few people I really depended on. She taught me to cook and to crochet when I was 10 years old.
In 2008 I lost my Dad to Lung/Brain Cancer. I was 30 years old and I will tell you, it isn’t easier when you are older. My Dad couldn’t possibly be described accurately in words. He was the most amazing man and I was a total Daddy’s Girl. Losing him screwed my life up big time. I took a look at my life and eventually let go of the things that were not healthy for myself or my sons. It took me many years to recover from it. 5 years later, I can’t honestly say I am not “recovered” but I have learned to deal with not having him most days. He left a big gaping hole in my life that I thought would never be filled. In time it was but that is another post. They say there is no greater loss than losing a child but, for me, losing my Dad was as close as it could possibly get.
This year, more than 1.6 million people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer. Hundreds of thousands struggle to pay for basic needs, leaving them unable to afford the comfort items that make treatment more bearable. Giving Comfort, a nonprofit program of the McKesson Foundation, provides patients in need with Comfort Kits. Care Kits are cancer care packages filled with essential items that help ease the discomfort caused by treatment. Patients receive Comfort Kits free-of-charge through a network of Distribution Network Partners, which include cancer treatment centers, hospitality houses, and support communities. Giving Comfort also offers Kits for sale through their e-store, with all proceeds going toward Kits for those in need.
I really wish that I had know about Giving Comforts when my loved ones were going through their battles. I looked through all of the kits and I think it really is a wonderful idea. I think my Nana and my Dad would have appreciated receiving one of these. If you know someone who is currently battling cancer, drop by the site and have a look. Even if you don’t know someone, you can always Donate A Kit to person in need.
If you have been affected by it, you know that Cancer is brutal, both physically and financially. The treatment itches, it burns, it makes you exhausted and sick, and because it’s so expensive, many patients can’t afford the simple things that make it bearable. When you support Giving Comfort – by donating a cancer care package for a cancer patient in need, or by purchasing a kit for a friend or family member – you are making an immediate impact in the life of a cancer patient.
They pack their Comfort Kits with high-quality comfort items that are most needed and requested by patients undergoing treatment: A soft blanket, warm socks, soothing tea, moisturizer, lip balm, a sleeping cap, and much more. When you donate a cancer care package, they work with hospitals, care facilities and service organizations that support low-income cancer patients to ensure that it gets to someone who needs it, right when they need it the most. And when you purchase a kit for someone you know, they ship it straight to your loved one with a personal note enclosed.
There are kits for everyone! Here are just a few of the Comfort Kits they offer. The kits are gender specific and there are many more, so please click the link above to see each individual kit.
Younger Boy’s/Girls Essential Kit – Custom children’s design pillowcase, Fleece throw blanket, Sleep cap, Socks with Grippers, Animal crackers, Toiletry bag contains Burt’s Bees Lip Balm, Toothpaste, Extra soft toothbrush, Hand Sanitizer, Unscented lotion, Magazine voucher for 1 year free magazine, Custom coloring book w/pack of crayons, Playing cards, Stuffed animal, Bouncy ball, Back Pack. Kit packed in Back Pack.
Teen Boy/Girl - 365 Brain Games (book), $10 iTunes Card, ear buds, Striped beanie, Black Cinch Bag, Grey Plush Rolled Blanket, Queasy Pops, Hand Sanitizer, Burt’s Bees Lip Balm, Blue Aluminum Water Bottle, Blueberry Bissinger’s Gummies. Kit packed in custom Giving Comfort Gift Box – Girl’s Kit: Sage Plush Rolled Blanket, Pink foldaway shopper, Military style khaki cap, Dream Journal, $10 iTunes Card, ear buds, Queasy Pops, Hand Sanitizer, Burt’s Bees Lip Balm, Simplicity Water Bottle (purple accent), Pink Grapefruit Bissinger’s Gummies. Kit packed in custom Giving Comfort Gift Box.
Men’s/Women’s Essentials Kit - Fleece lap blanket, Sleep cap, Socks with grippers, Sugar free mints/hard candies, Herbal tea, Toiletry bag contains Burt’s Bees Lip Balm, toothpaste, Extra soft toothbrush, Hand Sanitizer, Unscented lotion, Magazine voucher for 1 year free magazine, Sudoku puzzle book, Journal and pen, Planner/calendar -pocket sized, Back Pack. Kit packed in Back Pack. Women’s - Fleece lap blanket, Sleep cap, Socks with grippers, Sugar free mints/hard candies, Herbal tea, Toiletry bag contains Burt’s Bees Lip Balm, toothpaste, Extra soft toothbrush, Hand Sanitizer, Unscented lotion, Magazine voucher for 1 year free magazine, Sudoku puzzle book, Journal and pen, Planner/calendar -pocket sized, Canvas tote bag. Kit packed in Canvas tote bag.
About Giving Comfort:
Giving Comfort, a nonprofit program of the McKesson Foundation, fights cancer with comfort. Working with healthcare partners across the U.S., they help provide cancer patients with Comfort Kits. Filled with soothing and useful items, Comfort Kits reach patients at their time of greatest need – during cancer treatment. One hundred percent of individual donations to Giving Comfort go directly to providing Comfort Kits to patients. Founded in 2012, Giving Comfort has already distributed more than 14,000 Comfort Kits in 33 states. To learn more, visit them at www.givingcomfort.org.
For more information and to see how it works, please check out: http://www.givingcomfort.org/how-it-works.
More info on Giving Comfort’s Website: http://www.givingcomfort.org/
Follow Giving Comfort on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GivingComfort
Giving Comfort on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GivingComfort
Giving Comfort on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/givingcomfort/
Giving Comfort’s Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/givingcomfort
Disclosure: I was compensated for this article. I also received a Giving Comfort’s kit to give away to someone in need.