Basket inspiration needed for someone going through Chemo

debjk

Yes its Christmas day the dinner is cooking and I have baskets on my mind

This one needs to be rather special though its for my Mum its her birthday on the 11th and not long after that she will be starting 7 months worth of chemo so I need perhaps some sort of survival kit to help her through it.

She has had a terrible end to this year being diagnosed with Breast cancer, firstly having just a lumpectomey then they told her it was much worse than they thought, so she has had her breast removed. She was told last week there is only a 65% chance they will get rid of it . In the new year she will undergo 6-7 months of aggressive chemo followed by radiotherapy then possibly herceptin so you can understand why I want it to be a bit special

any ideas will be very welcome

whitewing

baby wipes (for freshening up)
tissues (for the odd tear)
mini photo album with photos (to remind her that you all love her and are supporting her)
diary/journal so she can write down her thoughts (especially if they are too difficult to actually tell you)
books (for if she is waiting for treatment; perhaps a book of beautiful poems eg from Nat Trust Shop)
Notelets, envelopes, stamps, postcards (in case she wants to write notes to people that she is not feeling up to seeing)
Hopefully this will give you a starting point. I am sure there are other ideas on this site somewhere. I'm certain this is a question that has been asked before.
Take care. Love and hugs to you all

whitewing

Deb - do you mind me saying that if you change the name of your thread to something like 'Mum having chemo - what gifts will help her thro it?' you may get more responses from people who don't read the baskets threads.

There are a lot of chaps out there nursing mums and wives thro this, and they will think of some very practical presents, I am sure.

mary43

It's always difficult when there's been an illness like this. I had the same trouble when my Mum had a stroke. Suddenly what I could get her was very limited so I went for items with what I felt would give her the 'feel good factor'...........
creams for hands, feet and neck massage - this sort of thing is always very relaxing.
Tasty herbal teas that have a 'pick me up' to them,
A good book that might make her laugh to take her mind off everything,
Aromatherapy bath stuff to help her relax
A realy nice 'touchy feely' cushion.........something that gives her that 'comfort blanket ' feeling (My sons just bought me one for Christmas to help me deal with the stress and worry of my Mums illness)
Print out a 'fun voucher' (forget the name of the site now) promising to take her for a manicure/pedicure if she's well enough for that.


Sorry.............thats all I can think of at the minute and I'm basing that on stuff I've bought for Mum and what my son bought for me. He also bought me a 'sew a teddy' kit - meant for a child but he knew it would make me laugh and is so easy even I can do it and my hands aren't so good nowadays.

Hope this helps.I'm sure others will come up with some good ideas

SharkyGeorge

Make up! I know it sounds strange and you may think that this will be the last thing on her mind but actually - after all the trauma her body is going through - it will be a comfort to her and make her still feel feminine. A lot of make up companies actually donate to some cancer wards. Maybe something like a make over at a posh department store?

MrsMW

Some gorgeous perfume.

Best wishes to you and your mum.

MrsTinks

Spotted this at Argos at half price
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/2609959/Trail/C%24cip%3D1500005751.Gifts%3EC%24cip%3D1500010807.Clearance%2Bgifts.htm

moj1966

books and magazines to read does she do knitting, cross stich something to keep her mind occupied.

Highland_Lass_2

We made up 3 of these pamper hampers for ladies at work this year and all for the same reason as you're doing one. Lots of things that were in them have been mentioned already but a couple of others are:-

bottle of her favourite wine/spirit
Kylie CD (thought this was a very apt one)
CD of nice relaxing music

Sending good wishes to your mum.

sarah.l.smith22

Highland_Lass wrote: »

We made up 3 of these pamper hampers for ladies at work this year and all for the same reason as you're doing one. Lots of things that were in them have been mentioned already but a couple of others are:-

bottle of her favourite wine/spirit
Kylie CD (thought this was a very apt one)
CD of nice relaxing music

Sending good wishes to your mum.

I think the Kylie CD is a great idea, my mum has had a few different types of cancer (in remission now thank god) she never used to listen to Kylie much but was having a boogie watching her performance on tv today and mentioned how brave she was. I would also suggest some nice mints or ginger sweets to help with the sick feeling you get, I think mum also mentioned that you get a funny taste in your mouth with chemo so they should help with that.

A nice photo would be a great idea if she has to stay in hospital she could keep it on the bed next to her. A present my mum got was one of those mini pillows that you can put in the microwave to heat up, as it is filled with lavendar is smells nice too and keeps you warm in bed - she used that a lot. A nice pair of PJ's and a robe would also be good too as even if she loses her hair she will still want to look feminine and nice, in fact probably more so.

A lovely idea to do a basket for her, best wishes to you both from me and mum xx

Rharni

My mother has just finished her second course of chemo for ovarian cancer. She loves her mp3 player...and takes it to bed with her when she gets tired and needs a lie down.

My husband has terminal cancer from malignant melanoma...this Christmas we just decided that we would treat it as if he well, although this was hard.

How about a little guardian angel in a basket for your Mum...oh, and I bought my mum lots of card making stuff so she can sit and make people's birthday cards for the year...to keep her mind occupied and planning for the future!!

And best wishes to YOU. It's a tough time ahead for you.