Gifts for Cancer Patients

My sweet mother in law was diagnosed this winter with breast cancer.  As she started her treatment I searched the web for some crafts I could easily make that will help her be more comfortable or lift her spirits. With the help of my adorable sister-in-law we came up with a few ideas and put together a nice care package for her. 

Mastectomy & Port Pillow 

 I found some great patterns online for mastectomy pillows. There are a range of ideas out there so google it for some inspiration. There are ones made of old sweaters that look quite cozy. I however, had some cute pink fabric that looked cheerful and them appropriate. The back is a white cotton with a little texture that was left over from a baby quilt.

Most of the patterns are just heart shaped, so I eye balled it on some freezer paper to make a template and ironed it onto the fabric, sewed it right sides together, flipped, stuffed and we were done.

I found some great ones on Etsy that included ribbons so they could be tied like a purse. I figured that that would come in handy if she wanted to be handsfree and keep it from slipping so as I was sewing I just added in some pink ribbon.

I also took two charm squares and some velcro I had laying around and made a port pillow. This little pillow will strap to the seatbelt (with the velcro) to keep it from rubbing the port or incision, which I hear can be incredibly painful. A tutorial for the port pillows can be found here.

Around christmas time I made a bunch of hand warmers with a bit of dried lavender in them. I threw a few of those in the package as well. A tutorial for the hand warmers can be found here.  I also made a larger hand warmer to put on your back or feet or even in the bed to add some warmth. Some people who go through chemo can get very cold so I thought this would be an easy way to get warm on the go or even during treatment.

My favorite item though is the blessing ring. I got the idea from this post.

My sister-in-law helped me collect notes, pictures, cards and motivational or meditational thoughts from friends and family near and far. We have quite a few young grandchildren in the family so we had them all do some art. I used a circle punch to punch out part of the art and put them on a notecard to include in the ring. It was a nice way to take their scribbles and make them into something fun for the ring.

Once they were collected, I backed them on fun paper (we chose yellow and pink as our theme.) and laminated them all. Then I punched holes and but them through a large binder ring. The ring was decorated with a few ribbons, but can still be opened.

My mother-in-law clips the ring to her purse to take with her to doctors appointments and treatments. It helps to keep her focused on the love that surrounds her and how strong she is. She can add new notes or motivational items that she finds to the ring as well, so it can continue to grow and change as she needs it.

I also put this blessing ring poem on the front on the ring.

Also in the package went a bracelet that my sister-in-law had made and some power of thought meditation cards that are a compliment to one of my mother-in-laws favorite books.

Being far away can be difficult during times like this. Not only does my mother-in-law enjoy the little treats, it helped me feel useful despite not being able to help with the day to day things.

I hope this helps you find some ideas for someone you love.