Cancer Patient Gift Hampers
Scroll down to see tips on supporting people with cancer, after surgery, and how to support caregivers.
Helpful tips if you know someone with cancer, having major surgery, or serious illness:
-
Keep up the Contact - sometimes it's difficult to know what to say if they have been diagnosed with a life threatening illness. Let them know you are thinking of them by sending a card via snail-mail (it really is nice to receive a card in the letterbox).
-
Send text messages or funny FaceBook posts via Messenger.
-
If they have children, offer to drive them to an after-school training.
-
If they have a dog, offer to walk it.
-
Offer to mow the lawns or do other household chores.
-
Offer to pick up any prescriptions or groceries.
-
Ask them if there is something they would like you to help with.
Sometimes there is a main caregiver looking after your friend or family member. Don't forget that the caregiver may need help too, and this indirectly helps your friend that is unwell:
-
The caregiver may not necessarily be a spouse and therefore may not live with the unwell person.
-
Offer to drive the caregiver's children to an after-school activity.
-
Offer to pick up groceries for the caregiver.
-
If the caregiver is spending most of their time with the unwell person, offer to mow the caregiver's lawns or some other 'round-the-home job'.
-
Offer to sit with the unwell person for a couple of hours if the caregiver wants to have a break.
-
Ask the caregiver if there is something you can do to help them.