Top 10 Cancer Diagnosis Gift Ideas

When you hear that somebody you love has just been diagnosed with cancer, it’s natural to want to purchase them a gift. As a cancer survivor myself, here are my top 10 favorite gift ideas for someone who has just received a cancer diagnosis.

After my diagnosis in 2023, because of my online presence, I received some wonderful gifts from loved ones, and ladies I had never met face-to-face from my social media platforms. I can genuinely say I loved every single gift that was given to me. Some brought me instant joy, while others brought me comfort on my hardest days.

Gifts For People With Cancer

When thinking about gifts for cancer patients, you want to consider what type of cancer they have and what their treatment plan will be. For instance, if someone is going to be going through chemo, you don’t want to give them a gift card for Mexican food. Mexican food can be very spicy and bold, which many cannot tolerate due to strong food aversions during chemo.

We’re going to start at the bottom of my list and work our way up to the number one gift I recommend for any cancer patient.

10. Water Bottle

It’s always nice to receive a water bottle for treatment days, especially when it has an encouraging message or Bible verse on the front. When faced with such a hard trial, it’s nice to have beautiful things to remind us to stay positive.

Many water bottle options available.

9. Blanket & Heated Blanket

Within the first few weeks of my diagnosis, somebody on Instagram reached out and asked if they could send me a gift. They sent me this beautiful purple blanket, purple being the representative color for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. I used this purple blanket to sleep with every night, and quite honestly, I just slept with it last night. It brings me comfort and is very cozy.

This blanket comes in many colors – Amazon link

The perfect size heated blanket – Amazon link

Heated blankets are so good for chemo patients who are cold-capping to save their hair, or for those who need to ice their feet and hands to prevent nerve damage.

8. Sunshine Basket

I personally never received a “sunshine basket” like this one above; however, I have given 2 sunshine baskets before and they are so fun to put together. I did have a friend put together a really sweet basket from my Bible study group, and I have included some of the items I received in the list below.

This particular basket, pictured above, was for a friend who had just lost her mom to cancer. Everything in the basket is yellow or gold to represent sunshine on hard days.

If you want to put together a sunshine basket gift for a friend with cancer, then here’s what I would include:

• Encouraging message on a water bottle or mug
• One of these coloring books
• Markers – we’ll be talking about this in the last paragraph of this article. Read on.
• Encouraging t-shirt
• Loaf of sourdough bread
• Cookbook for cancer patients
• Cancer journal by me!
• Lip balm
• Lotion
• Coconut oil – for oil pulling (READ MORE ABOUT THAT HERE)
• Electrolyte mix (non-lemon flavors if going through chemo)
• Bone broth mix
• Butterfly picture frame
• Pre-made soup mixes

7. DIY Port Covers – For Chemo

This doesn’t sound very exciting; however, beautiful port covers are so special to have on chemo days if your loved one is going through chemo. For those that haven’t been through cancer, this is how it works.

On chemo day, 1 hour before your appointment time, you have to place a small dollop of lidocaine cream on your port site to numb the area before chemo begins. Most people stick a piece of plastic wrap over the cream to keep it from rubbing off. Instead, you can create encouraging port sticker covers to bring a little smile to each chemo patient. I was given some and loved them.

Simply cut out a circle of Glad Press and Seal wrap, attach a beautiful, encouraging sticker to it, and place it in a Ziploc bag.

Here’s a sticker pack you might like to use: You’ve Got This Sticker Pack

6. Red Sea Rules Book

The book that changed my outlook on cancer. Shortly after my diagnosis, a friend dropped off a gift that included this book. The first chapter wrecked me, literally. I spent the first month going through chemo and reading the first chapter, pondering what I had to go through and what this book was saying; absolutely powerful.

You see, in Red Sea Rules, the author explains these rules he found in the Bible during the Israelites’ escape from Egypt and their journey to the Promised Land. The first rule, out of ten, is to acknowledge that God has you right where you want to be. WHAT? No way does he WANT me to be in the midst of cancer. But, the more I read, pondered, and prayed, the more I learned what God wanted to teach me through this health crisis.

This book got me THROUGH my chemo journey, and I’m so grateful for this book! I highly recommend this book to all cancer patients.

5. Flowers

After my diagnosis was official, it was hard to be “happy.” I still had my joy in the Lord, but day to day was emotionally hard. But my friends came through with flowers. They helped brighten my mood, put a smile on my face, and made me feel so loved!

Never underestimate the power of a beautiful bouquet of flowers. It’s sure to brighten somebody’s mood. Also, learn what the color of their cancer is. For Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, it’s purple. I received this bouquet of flowers from my friend Kelly when I was declared cancer-free!

4. Gift Cards or Money For Travels

My cancer treatments were 2 hours away, every other week for 6 months. With each trip, we had to pay at least $20 in parking fees. It was not a cheap day to go get chemo, but we made the best of it, and our friends from church helped us too. I even received a $25.00 Whole Foods gift card from a lady on Instagram because she knew I loved that store so much for healthy snacks.

Our life group gave us gas gift cards, restaurant gift cards, and money for gas. It was incredibly generous, and I’m so thankful God put it on their hearts. I highly encourage you to think about your friend or loved one and how this cancer diagnosis will affect them financially.

3. Gifting Fresh Produce and Groceries

On 4 different occasions during my cancer journey, I would open my front door to find fresh-picked produce and fresh backyard eggs. I truly would beam with excitement! One lady, from Instagram, sent me a bag of avocados from the coast! I tell you what, I felt the love! If you have a garden, or you’re heading to the farmers market soon, think of your friend healing from cancer and pick up a bag for them too!

Also, next time you go to Costco or Sam’s Club, ask your friend if they need anything. Just about every week, we had a couple from church drop off 3-4 large bags of Costco organic carrots. We juiced copious amounts of carrot juice during my chemo journey, and yes, I turned orange!

2. Monthly Encouragement Cards (not just text messages)

There were a few women from the church, and one lady from my husband’s work, who would send me an encouragement card every month. I was so inspired by their generosity in sitting down every month, praying over me, and writing to me what was on their hearts. I treasured those cards during my 6 months of chemo, and still think of them when I hear of someone going through a tough time. A card of encouragement should be one of our first responses for a friend.

Sure, a text is always well received, but a card is going the extra mile. It seemed like God always had a card in the mail for me right when I needed it to lift my spirits and get me through to the end of this hard journey.

1. Meal Train

This is BY FAR the most valuable gift I received as a cancer patient. Being a mom with 4 kids, and going through chemo is HARD. But having friends step in and take the load off with meals was absolutely so encouraging!

As soon as I was diagnosed, a dear friend asked me if she could set up a meal train. I knew chemo days would be hard, so we set it up for someone to bring dinner over on my chemo days. That’s 12 chemos every 2 weeks. It was incredible! We only had 1 person cancel on us, but I called another friend the night before and asked for help. She came through with tri-tip and sourdough bread. My mom made a quick salad, and dinner was served!

If you ever sign up to bring someone a meal, don’t ever cancel! They are relying on you, probably more than you’ll ever know. My chemo days were extremely hard. We traveled 2 hours to get to my appointments. Troy had to change my cold caps every 20 minutes for 10 hours to save my hair. We had a driver come with us (mostly my friend Kelsey), and those dinners were essential to keep our household running, with 4 kids.

In my opinion, taking a meal to someone in need is the greatest gift you can give them, besides praying for them and encouraging them.

“Cancer Ghosting” Is A Cancer Patients Worst Enemy

Cancer ghosting a real thing among cancer patients. It’s this idea that upon a diagnosis, friends and family are so concerned and empathetic towards the patient, but as time wears on, they stop showing up for that person. In the beginning you might hear from your friends the first few months, but by the end of treatment the cancer patient feels all alone.

I can honestly say I never felt this! Be the constant encourager in your loved one’s life because this nasty battle should never be fought alone. They need to be lifted up and told that they are strong, they are important, and they will get through this.

My friends weren’t texting me every single day, but every week, they checked in, and God sent me so many people to lift me up. After going through this cancer journey, I want to be there for others when they face challenging times. Let’s live in community and never face battles alone! Romans 12 says:

⁹ Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.¹⁰ Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹ Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. ¹² Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. ¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

These are the marks of a true Christian. Show up for those in need and seek to serve them. My top 10 favorite gifts I received while going through cancer may seem easy, but they meant the world to me. Be the light in someone’s life, and go above and beyond for them until they beat this nasty disease!

other articles you might enjoy reading:

• 5 Powerful Prayers For Cancer Patients
• What To Eat During Chemotherapy + 7-Day Meal Plan
• Chemo Mouth Sores and How To Prevent Them
• Non-Toxic Laundry Swaps After Cancer