Thank you so much everyone, for all the great ideas! I'm definitely going to pass these onto all his friends who have been asking, "What can we do?" This is such a wonderfully supportive and educational forum. He's got a laptop, so I'm definitely going to give him the link to come here.

One more for the list- I always liked getting PJ's. When you are laid up it's nice to change your PJ's often.
I watched a lot of movies and TV series on DVDs, and the best was when people would lend me whatever DVDs they owned (because I'm only going to watch them once so I didn't want to keep them around the house). Labeling the DVDs with their names was helpful becuase then I didn't have to keep track. One friend who is a movie buff and has a copier lent me one of those CD wallets with like 50 movies and said "give it back whenever you want, or keep it". This was for after I was out of the hospital but laid up at home from the radiation.

My daughter's dry erase board was by my side for the times I couldn't speak. Also a friend lent me a book titled "Getting Well Again" by O. Carl Sinonton, Stephanie Matthews Simonton & James L. Creighton. I didn't intend to read it because I was sick of reading about my illness but I did read it and it helped me with my attitude toward the treatments.

A small squishy pillows filled with the plastic beads used in Beanie Babbies make wonderful gifts. The neck roll style is excellent for supporting an arm with an IV. Hospital beds are so uncomfortable and the pillows are not much better. I found that manipulating a small soft pillow under my head when lying down and under my arm when I sat up took pressure off of my neck and jaw. When I was able to sit up I used a pillow under books and magazines. A family member brought me a big soft European square to help prop me up in bed.

A friend made me a beautiful quilt. She wrote a personal note on the back in one of the squares. I always felt better when I wrapped myself up in it. I also received lots and lots of different herbal teas. Someone else gave me a soothing CD, which I would play when I just wanted to heal. None of my cards were taken down until I finished radiation. The best gifts were all the positive thoughts and prayers plus the people who checked in to see how my husband was doing.