MIDLAND, Texas — A cancer diagnosis is something nobody ever wants to hear.
Going through chemotherapy or radiation treatment can also be a confusing time as the future is uncertain.
That is why two local non-profits have teamed up to make sure cancer patients get a little bit of hope before starting their treatment.
Since their inception, Gifts of Hope has been helping cancer patients. While they have always done new things to raise awareness and support cancer patients, they were recently looking to try something new.
“A couple of years ago, we were wanting to put together a bag that we could give for patients who are just starting their chemotherapy journey," Gifts of Hope Executive Director Clint Dickson said. "At that time, we had an organization reach out to us saying, 'hey, we're putting together bags to give away to chemo patients, could we partner with you?' and we thought, man, this is perfect.”
That organization is Gammy and Papa's Helping Hands, who create gift bags and give them to people who are just starting their cancer treatment.
“We’ve been doing it with Texas Oncology since 2016, but we reached out to Gifts of Hope in 2020. We deliver here and they take it to Texas Oncology," Billie Lopez, the president of Gammy and Papa's Helping Hands, said. "They know how many people are starting in the chemo or radiation classes and they take the bags through there.”
Up to 600 bags were made, with 400 going to those undergoing chemotherapy and 200 heading to people getting radiation treatment. While the gift bags were made during the holiday season, they will be distributed all throughout 2024.
These gift bags are packed with goodies. Socks and blankets keep patients warm, crayons and colored pencils keep them entertained and lotion is given to keep up a proper skin care routine.
But that's not all that comes in the bag.
“They have port pillows in them for the seat belt to cover over their med port. Then they have blankets, it's very cold in the room they receive chemo," Lopez said. "They have books in there where they have coloring pages, search word pages, crossword puzzles, we provide journals and we provide pocket calendars.”
Sponsors come in and help make the bags while Gifts of Hope can call upon "The Hope House Honeybees" to lend a helping hand.
Then, they go out to the hospitals and the cancer patients.
Everyone helping out is a volunteer, with their payment coming from knowing they gave a little hope and companionship, to someone who is about to go through an uncertain journey.
“We do get to hear from the patients and they do tell us that getting that bag is so incredible and that it doesn’t seem like a lot of stuff," Dickson said. "Just knowing that someone cares about you, that some one has thought about what you might be going through and wants to make your life a little bit better, there’s no words for them sometimes, it’s just a lot of joy and gratitude.”
Lopez has first hand experience with the disease.
Both her father and sister passed away from cancer, so it means a little bit more to her seeing a cancer patient get their gift bag.
“It's very important to them and finding out you have cancer and beginning treatment, especially at the holiday season, is very trying on anyone," Lopez said. "Finding out at Christmas has got to be very difficult, so getting the bag and lifting someone spirits is very meaningful to me.”