I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in 2007 which meant that I had to under go 6 months of Chemotherapy. My friends and work colleagues very kindly bought me gifts which unfortunatley were totally inappropriate body lotion - the smell made me feel nauseaus, books - couldn’t write my name let alone read a book etc, etc).
I have come up with the idea of putting togther Chemotherapy gift boxes with appropriate gifts such as silk/satin pillowcase (which prevents rubbing of the hair at night)unperfumed body lotion,honey,ginger products to combat nausea, a thermometer, medical checklist and tips for people going through this trauma.
The questions that I would like to ask is if you knew someone going through Chemotherapy because of Breast Cancer would you buy them a Chemotherapy gift box and how much would you be prepared
to pay and also what would you like to see in the gift box?
a candle in a pretty holder (I love to put mine on corner of bath when I bathe - very soothing somehow), perhaps a spritzer, perhaps soft flannels or a natural sponge, a bath pillow, a scented neck cushion you can heat in the microwave, perhaps a pretty notebook. Also baby soap as likely they’ll have radiotherapy as well?
Personally I think the person would see to the thermometer and medical checklist themsleves? Would depend on how close to chemo they were. You could maybe have a menu of items that could be selected from??
I liked concise (ie easy) crosswords in hospital and have carried on doing one daily as I read its a good idea to exercise your brain during chemo!
£20 I think.
Good luck. I’m having chemo at the mo’ and have so appreciated the gifts from friends and colleagues.
I have just finished my chemo and the very best gift I received was some Clinique Body Butter. I have since bought the same thing for a friend about to start treatment.
I would be unlikely to buy any gift that contained anything medical. I think if buying gifts I like to buy treats/luxuries that the recipient would not probably buy for themselves.
20-30 pounds is probably what I would want to spend.
I think fragrances & products and smell preferences are very individual and one could easily go wrong. I personally don’t like honey or ginger and my skin changed during chemo. I would probably like a gift voucher for boots or holland&barrett etc to chose my own. I think most hospitals offer a thermometer and advice leaflet. But everybody likes gifts, I had one of those kernel bags given which you heat in the microwave, I used it at the hospital during chemo keeping me snug as the cold cap made me freezing cold!!
I actually got one! Some girlfriends brought me a lovely basket filled with things they had put together. I remember candles, floating candles, various health bars and crackers, some organic dark chocolate,organic body lotions and other toiletries (mainly travel sizes), some books (including the complete guide to nutritional health) and magazines, funny fridge magnets, some pretty blank cards i used to send thank you notes to people - all sorts of bits and pieces. It had an organic ‘health spa’ type feel, without being too anti-cancer (the books were just general good health ideas with great pictures). The smell of one of the candles made me feel ill but the others were fine, and anything that wasn’t right I just stored away. I was still really glad to get it, it was great fun just unpacking it all!
So I would suggest nothing medical or terribly cancer oriented, but just fun treats that could be kept till later if necessary. I would do a bigger one as well, as friends can club together (as these did). Make it flexible so they can throw in their own things (ie not a sealed box but an open basket)
A great idea!
Thank you for all your positive comments. My products would be fragrance free and without the nasty little additives. I think my main problem will be getting the business noticed so i need to get myself and my website (which I haven’t got yet) out there. For example would you google ‘chemotherapy gifts’ if you looking to by something for a friend or colleague.
Hello. I don’t want to put a downer on your idea but I personally, wouldn’t want to give a generic ‘chemo’ pack to anybody. I would prefer to choose something personally rather than go to a specific site. I think something like this would require quite delicate marketing. Would you be targeting any cancer specifically (i.e breast cancer), or would it be for all chemo patients? Women and/or men? It’s quite a sensitive area. I hope you don’t mind giving my opinion. I wish you all the best.
Thanks for your comments. At the moment I would be targetting those women with breast cancer because I have been through it. I am at the ‘early days stage’ with this idea so please keep posting your thoughts and ideas.
I’m in two minds about this idea. I think perhaps it might be a good idea to have a range of products and people could pick their own selection and you could make boxes up to their requirements, which would make it more personal. The risk is then of people nicking your ideas and making their own boxes up, so i think the natural non- fragranced angle is a good idea.
I don’t think i personally would have liked being given a gift box like this, but feel that there are a lot of ladies who would. Although it is a business venture, it may be a good way of giving information about sources of help/advice for recently diagnosed ladies. It would also be a good vehicle for cross marketing if done gently, such as a list of decent websites for scarves/wigs/ hats etc.
I am part way through chemo and cannot stand smelly stuff at the moment, and food and drink has been ropey too. I was given lots of chocolates and sweets which i would usually scoff within minutes, but they are still sitting in my cupboard. Warm fluffy socks would have been welcome. Maybe arranging a magazine subsrciption or giving a voucher towards it would be good, as i cant concentrate on books too well at present though have spent a fortune on magazines to occupy me.The blank thankyou cards are a great idea as you do get things you want to acknowledge but don’t necessarily want to speak on the phone. Maybe an option of some crafty things to do to occupy yourself, word search/crossword books as has been suggested perhaps.
ps just thought that some people might like to make a donation to a breast cancer charity as part of their gift, i have been sent flowers and though a lovely thought, it does seem a lot of money on a temporary thing. I would have liked something acknowledging that freiends had donated a proprtion of what they collected . Perhaps that could be one of your options, though how you would do that practically with the gift box idea, i don’t know!,
What a good idea! I have read all your replies with interest.
I was dx late 2005. What a friend of mine did was turn up with a bag of stuff from Matalan. She’d bought me a comfy 3-piece leisure suit (part of which I still wear, the rest has worn out), four pairs of soft comfy socks, I think a couple of colourful scarves but can’t quite remember, and a few other bits and bobs. She said they cost less than a decent bunch of flowers. She also came around and brought me frozen food which she’d made herself - soups, shepherds pie base, curries (some of which I could take and others I couldn’t). She wasn’t at all intrusive about it, phoned first and left them in a cooler bag on the doorstep. Said she didn’t want to bother me as I was going through chemo. The food came in really useful as I wasn’t up to cooking and felt guilty that my husband, who’d been working all day, would have to get stuck in at the kitchen when he came home. Yessiree, that food was a godsend in those dark days.
I think you’d need to make up a few different priced boxes with the aim being of giving something that you wouldn’t buy for yourself so it’s a treat.
My favourite as some Rose oil body wash that a friend brought for me it’s for sensitive skin and was quite expensive, but I’ve used it every day so far and it’s still going strong.
I also had some lovely notecards with envelopes, very useful to keep in touch and send thanks etc. have used most of these and need more. The silk pillow sound wonderful, speaking as someone who is shedding hair on the pillow evernight and has to brush the pillow with a petbrush evry morning to get it off! Warm socks too are a good idea, as if you have to go into hospital feet are sometimes freezing!
Bathpillow and microwave heat pad are a good idea too - would never have thought of them to buy myself but would love them. A couple of nice flannels and babysoap too, I had to buy flannels for hospital I never use them at home!
Also some quality hand cream/body lotion from somewhere like lush or even bodyshop.
I reckon if you could bring this lot in for £20 you’d be doing excellent!
Good luck if you decide to go through with this.
This is a lovely idea but just thought I’d ask if you have all heard of the ‘Look Good, Feel Good’ sessions. These are targeted at women who have BC and take place in various hospitals and centres round the country. It’s a session which lasts about two and a half hours and it’s a real pampering do. At the end, everyone receives a gift bag with loads of different products in it.
I know you’ve probably all heard of this already, but just thought I’d mention it in case some of you haven’t.
Hope you are all well today, take care. Lots of love, Dianne x x x
Can anyone please tell me how many of the 46,00 Breast Cancer patients diagnosed every year go on to have chemotherapy. I am now attempting to write a business plan for my chemotherapy gift bag idea. It’s a great idea but is it a business?
I would have liked somebody giving me some special shampoo/ products for helping your hair grow back and think these would be great for in a gift box. How are u getting on with your proposal?
I am sure that many women with ovarian, cervical, bowel cancer etc. who also have Chemo would appreciate such a gift, too. Probably Macmillan or Cancer Research may have figures of chemotherapy patients. Good Luck. X
This is a lovely idea, Browner. I hate to say it, though, but there are quite a few things like this already out there. if you google ‘gifts for chemo’ or ‘gifts for cancer’ there are even websites specialising in things like ‘women’s cancer baskets’.
This could be good news, though, as maybe you could market your version for inclusion on these websites in addition to your own.
If you put “cancer registries” into your search engine, it should come up with a list of the different registries throughout the UK. Click onto the one nearest to you in your area, and they should be able to help you with the facts and figures you need - they usually have two sets of figures, one set for your local area and the other set will be national figures.
I dont know if you’ll be able to access the figures directly from their website, or if not, you’ll be able to email or phone them for the info.
Good luck with finding out!
Also, I notice someone’s put about the “Look Good, Feel Better” programme - once you’re up and running with your products, I wonder if your local centre that runs that programme could display a few leaflets for you, telling ladies about your products?
Hi girls i dont know if you have heard of " hug in a bag" its a gift bag given to every women undergoing breast surgery at sunderland royal hospital .its a great pick-me-up when you need it ( i got mine on the day after surgery) and the products were lovely * there was toiletries,manacure set, a nice scarf ,candles,healing stones and loads more.it was started by 3 ladies who were diagnosed with BC and helped each other through .Ill post a link x Julie sunderlandcvs.co.uk/news/information/huginabag.html