Hi, a dear friend has undergone treatment for oral cancer mostly in jaw and cheek with two surgeries and I'd like to support her when I go to visit. We're close and I wondered if there was a gift or item - beyond the journals, the wipeboards, the puzzles, the hand cream, or candles or other usual gifts like flowers - that might be helpful or thoughtful for her. She has a trach, intestinal feeding tube, but is home going through immunotherapy after other treatments.
I truly appreciate your website as a support. Thanks.

Hi CD'A

Welcome. You are quite thoughtful to reach out here. Some ideas. If your friend doesn't already have a "Vitamix", they are quite useful assuming they get off the feeding tube soon. I got a couple really good books. My favorite is called Anticancer. It has decades of data about all kinds of cancer.

But, honestly, the best gift I got from close friends was time. Many drove me to/from a treatment or two. Some would join me on walks. Some would arrange zoom calls for me. The best would take me out for things I loved such as surfing, or a jog, or a bike ride.

Best wishes to your friend.

Nels

Hello CD'A. That is such a lovely thing to do.

I had friends send me messages and cards/letters at random times throughout my recovery. I received gifts that seemed small but made a lot of sense to me, things like a little manicure and pedicure set, deep conditioner for my hair, a portable battery powered fan for when I got hot flushes from the treatments.

I had a couple of friends come over and help clean my house as I wasn't able to do it myself and my husband was working full time. Another took me out for a little walk to buy some plants.
They were all little things that really helped me get through everything