This post kicks off a series of service projects focused on helping individuals and families going through chemotherapy.
Posts in the Series
Chemo Care Kit for Kids (you are here now)
Chemo Care Kit for Kids Bag Topper for the Chemo Care Kit for Kids (coming soon)
Delivering Chemo Care Kits for Kids (coming soon)
Comfort Items to Give Chemo Patients (coming soon)
Service Project: Giving Chemo Care Kits to a Hospital or Clinic (coming soon)
How to Help Families Going Through Chemotherapy (coming soon)
We have been working on this particular project for several months. I first started paying attention, I mean *really* paying attention, to what it was like to go through chemotherapy when we made our first sets of Chemo Care Kits. From then on, I heard from so many people on how this type of project was meaningful for them because:
1) They cared about someone who was going through chemotherapy and felt powerless to help and this project, although it can't cure anyone, it gave them something to do to show that they cared, and
2) This project TEACHES our families, our children, what it can be like to go through chemotherapy by using the experience to learn about the side effects.
It is a service project
and a learning experience for children.
Over the past 6 months, we have reached out to families that are battling cancer. We drew feedback from parents on what would be helpful for their child when going through chemotherapy. The items you see suggested are all intended to provide some comfort.
To pilot this, we made 70 Chemo Care Kits for Kids! No, I am not kidding. An amazing project!
We worked with 6 other families and collected enough supplies to assemble kits, our goal was 30 kits. With the donations, we gathered 7 kids (ages 3-8) from our families and put together the kits.
We laid out the supplies in three sections on tables by group:
- Items to help with side effects
- Comfort items
- Activity items
Each kid decided to put together a kit for a boy, girl, or it didn't matter. From there, each one gathered the appropriate items for the kit.
In 30 minutes, the kids had put together 70 Chemo Care Kits for Kids ready for delivery! It went so quickly and smoothly. They rocked it! We totally more than doubled reaching our goal of 30. How awesome to have so much support from our friends in helping us with this project. Thank you! Special Thanks to the M Family, W Family, GMac Family, D Family, the R family, and the A family! You are the best!
****The day after we made the kits, the kids started distributing them to local hospitals and clinics that treat children with cancer. I am including those experiences in a different post as there are tips to communicating with potential donation sites that I need to share with you. (post coming soon)
Not everyone experiences chemotherapy with the same side effects. If you are making a Chemo Care Kit for a specific child, reach out to that family and ask what would be helpful. What you will find here is information we gathered from parents AND clinics that help kids through the chemotherapy process.
This is a great service project to do with your family, a meaningful service project to do with kids!
Chemo Care Kit for Kids
What is in the Kit?
I've put the list of items in a free printable that you can print off and take with you shopping. Click on the image below to get the list, 1 page to print.
Tips for the Kit
- For each kit include: 5 Items to Help with Side Effects plus an activity and/or comfort item (you can always add both an activity and a comfort item)
- Buy travel-sized items.
- Plan to budget approximately $1 for each item. The comfort and activity items seem to range in price from $3-$5. Most kits we put together cost less than $12.
- Focus kits for a specific group (age range and gender: boy, girl, or either)
- Make sure all the items in each kit are age appropriate for the same age range. (For example: cozy size-1 Spiderman slippers would be a mix-match with nail polish.)
Why the items in the Kit?
I've put a simple explanation in this free printable so that you can print and have with you to reference, maybe during a family evening activity when you assemble the kits together. It is a one page document that describes the general side effects of chemotherapy and how the items in the kit will be helpful. Click on the image below.
Besides stuff I buy at the store, what can I put in the kit?
In addition, a nice note or drawing from your children adds a meaningful element. It gives the chance for your child to share encouragement to another child or family that is going through a difficult time.
You can make several of the items, such as the comfort items. (post on that coming soon)
How many kits should our family make?
A great aspect about this project is you get to decide. Whether you choose to make 1 kit or 6 kits, your efforts in teaching your children and in giving a special kit full of helping items to someone else will make a difference. No wrong or right answer on this one.
What do I put the stuff in to make it look like a kit?
Depending on the size of the items you choose, the following will work quite well:
- Gift bag
- Gallon Zip-lock bag (this is what we did and I'll share the printable in an upcoming post)
- Cellophane bag (found at party supply stores)
- Shoe-box sized plastic tote (great for kits that have reusable activities included)
For more information:
List of Common Side Effects from the CureSearch for Children's Cancer
I want to share with you two organizations that I've been working with and have a great heart, enthusiasm, and talent in helping families and children going through the difficulties of fighting cancer:
Focus On:
The Kathryn R. Nelson Memorial Foundation, is a 100% volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to brightening the days of cancer patients and others undergoing hardships. The Foundation was started by Krista Dial, and it is named after her mother who left an amazing legacy of love and service when she passed away after a battle with breast cancer. The Foundation hopes to continue that legacy in her honor. From arranging photographers to take family photos, coordinating cleaning staff to take care of a patient's home, and creating a basket of fun for an entire year, the Foundation has meaningful and doable ideas to help cancer patients.
Focus On:
The Spotlight On Hope Film Program is a film program for pediatric cancer patients, created by Cassie Nguyen, a 7-year-survivor of brain cancer, the Spotlight on Hope Film Program consisted of a Spotlight On Hope Film Camp conducted over three days for patients of Children‘s Hospital Los Angeles. For this pilot program, Cassie raised donations cancer bracelets that were made for her when she battled cancer.
The inaugural camp, taught by multi-award winning director Ramon Hamilton and producer Jennifer Fischer, allowed patients to explore arts of green screen and special effects filmmaking. They worked in groups to create a short, green screen and special fx film. This form of filmmaking has been selected as the primary form for the program because it allows the students to truly explore any story idea they have and live out dreams through the filmmaking process. Students learn story/character development, camera technique, video and fx editing and much more. The program is currently taking place at UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television. The goal is to make it an ongoing program meeting regularly (probably weekly) over an extended period of time so that more patients can participate.
Read more about Spotlight on Hope Film Camp, "Cancer children putting the focus on hope … and fun" and Cassie Nguyen. Here is the film that that was put together during the first Spotlight on Hope Film Camp. I hope to see more of these projects in the future!
Stay tuned for the next posts on this series of service project ideas to help patients and families going through cancer treatment.
The 2 Free Printables: Chemo Care Kit for Kids (each 1 page)
The first time we put together a Chemo Care Kit:
Sheila, I am sitting here all emotional reading this! What an incredible, selfless effort this is! I love these pictures of the kids putting these together- I would LOVE for my boys to feel the awesome joy and depth yours surely did in working on these. Can't wait to see where you go with this and put this to use ourselves too!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sky! Thank you so much for your help and encouragement! Makes a big difference to have such an awesome person behind you!
DeleteSheila, this was a great way to think about others at Christmas time, rather than just gloat on the goodies we recieved.
ReplyDeleteI agree. It was totally worth the effort. Thanks for being supportive with every thing we do!
DeleteLove this! We try to sponsor children with cancer through The Believe Box as much as we can so this is super helpful to us. I also shared with their page. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteGreat to point out The Believe Box! They do amazing things! And thank you for sharing, Lauren. I really love what you do to help parents and kids connect with one another.
DeleteThank you for sharing this. My 3 yo daughter is a cancer survivor and has other major medical conditions. She has been in and out of the hospital for the past few years. It is such a huge deal for her when one of the nurses gives her a donated gift. She loves having something special to brighten her day. They often give a gift when the child first arrives to distract them so they're not worrying about the needle pokes that are about to happen. Even the littlest gift means SO much to these little ones!
ReplyDeleteMelissa, Thank you for commenting and sharing your experience. You are right; the small things really do have an impact on helping others. It makes a difference to know what is helpful and not helpful from moms like you. Would welcome feedback and ideas anytime!
DeleteMy daughter had to receive weekly hydration therapy at our local cancer center and the 1st time we were there she noticed how long a little boy was there and how bored he was. My daughter was in high school at the time. She asked her nurse was there anything other than a couple books for the kids to look at. The nurse said no not really. My daughter asked if they could use cd's, books, dvd etc. The nurse was overwhelmed when we showed up next week with a plastic tote of books, a plastic tote with cd's and prtable cd players along with batteries and a tote of dvd's. My daughter was always noticing children and adults that were using the items over the next 6months of her own treatments. When it came time for her community project she again chose the cancer center. Since my daughters disorder didn't allow her to sit for more than a few minutes without passing out we needed something she could do laying down. She decided to make the no sew (tied) fleece blankets for the patients who didn't have one since the blankets there tended to be rough and my daughter couldn't stand the feel of these against her skin. Even though she is in college now we still try to do something every year or every other year depending on how she is feeling and I think we will expand to make these comfort boxes next time.
ReplyDeleteMelinda, Such a loving daughter! You've made some great points about resources that are needed on an oncology unit. I will be sure to share out the idea of making no-sew fleece blankets. Thank you for commenting!
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