Gift Ideas Faqs

What is thoughful gift to get someone w/terminal cancer?

My friend has just a few months left to live. I was thinking of a food basket, or a journal, but wonder if a journal is too blatant? I love her dearly, she is a wonderful woman. I JUST WANT TO THANK ALL YOU KIND PEOPLE FOR GIVING ME SUCH THOUGHTFUL ANSWERS. There is more than one answer that I will implement. Thank you so much!

Public Comments

1. Maybe you could donate money to charity in your friends name.
2. Make a serious donation to Cancer Research in your friends name. It tells her that you want the thing that she wants most right now. A cure!
3. You know an journal is not too blatant at all--you caouls also add a nice collage of photos for her in a scrap book as well
4. I don't feel you should let her cancer dictate your friendship or how you see her as a person. My best suggestion would be to forget the cancer and look at her as your friend and get her something that fits her personality and your friendship.
5. a journal is always a good "close friends" gift. you should make sure 100% that she doesn't already have one, though. also, don't skimp on the journal - most likely she's going to look at it very often if she takes to it, and you don't want her to be thinking "what a piece of crap". an elaborate, text-less bookmark (poems/"words of wisdom" are super tacky) is a wonderful touch.
6. You know what my granny has been very sick so what I did was go through all of my pics of my kids and us and made her a photo album that had lines so I could describe what was going on in the pictures. I found that was one of the greatest things. I have made her special things like a hoodie and ironed on pics of my her great grand kids on it. I even had bought fleece material and made her a blanket and let my kids put their hand prints on it because they love her as much as she loves them. My kids are one thing I know that is very dear to her so we just incorporated it into things that were memories.
7. I don't know if she has much mobility but maybe taking her somewhere beautiful or somewhere she has always loved/wanted to go.
8. Get her a hat
9. maybe a day at the spa, i'm not sure a food basket would be good.
10. My dear, sweet friend left last year due to cancer. I knew she loved the feeling of silk. So, I made sure she had a few different pairs of silk jammies. It made her feel better in them, than the hospital cotton, open backed gowns. My friend was to weak to write. She felt better talking out right about her feeling and dieing. Your friend may be different of course. Give her something she feels good in.
11. roses
12. Scented candles, scented body wash with matching lotion, a really soft sweater - things that are luxurious and pampering. Take her out to dinner, or to a special place, and spend time with her talking about whatever she wants to talk about. Make it all about her.
13. Your love and friendship
14. Give her the gift of your time. Sit with her. Read to her. Listen to her when she wants to talk. Help her with tasks she may not be able to do herself: run errands, clean the bathroom, do the laundry, fix a cup of tea. You will have months and years to do what needs to be done in your life, your friend has only a short time, so just be there for her. The time you spend with her will also be the best gift you ever receive.
15. I think you should spend time with her. Take her out to eat, to the movies, whatever she enjoys and feels up to. In addition, offer to take care of her kids (if she has young kids), go grocery shopping for her, or other things that she doesn't have the time or energy for.