Help...Hospital gifts?

[crazygirley]

Hopefully someone can help me out...My BF's step-dad is in the hospital receiving chemotherapy before he has a bone marrow transplant for Leukemia. My BF's mom is requesting that everyone visit him before he has the transplant next Friday, so most of us will be visiting this weekend. I really want to bring him something special when I visit. He can't have anything natural like flowers, and probably doesn't have an appetite for food, so I don't want to get candy or snacks. I am on a really tight budget right now, so I don't want to spend too much ($10 or less would be perfect). Does anyone have any ideas for a good gift that I can get him that is inexpensive yet still touching? Perhaps something he can display in his room and look at. He will have a VCR, but we all have already purchased many tapes for him already, and he has burned numerous CD's as well, so those really aren't things I have in mind. Anything ideas would be helpful. Thanks!

Meaghan

 

[wdwhoneymooner]

A talking picture frame. The type you can record your own little 5-10 second message for the BF Father to listen to.

 

[Lovecraft]

Sneak him in some girly magazines. Then wink at him and say "I know you'll be up in no time!"

 

[mej]

Writing paper and stamps so that he can write thank you notes for all the gifts he will receive!!

 

[WDWFREAK53]

I would say...don't buy him anything...

Make something...

For instance...things that you've done together as a group, fill it with pictures, etc. (like a collage)...and then put some funny sayings underneath the pics that will get him to laugh.

 

[Lovecraft]

Freak's idea is a great one.

Laughing is super therapeutic.

My father was in the hospital last week. My sister and I raided the box of latex gloves, blew them up and drew fish faces and scales on them and hung them from the intensive care cielings with medical tape.

This got him, the nurses and his doctor (who was a marine biologist before becomming a physician) all laughing.

That helped my dad a lot and I am sure it aided his speedy recovery

 

[kal1484]

I like the talking picture frame idea, maybe put a pic of all three of you if you had one, and have both of you wish him well.

That, or what I thought of first thought of a TY bear, they are nice to hold onto when sleeping, I know I did after my surgery. Or even a bear with a picture frame.

 

[The Mom]

You might make him a gift basket of nice supplies...aloe coated tissues instead of the cardboard sheets the hospital supplies, lip moisturizer, nice scented skin lotion (lavender is soothing), maybe some magazines or a book of short stories, (sometimes it's hard to concentrate if you're not feeling well) perhaps some of his FAVORITE mouthwash (I hate the generic hospital brands) and hard candies...he might be having some nausea. How about one of those eye shields to block out the light when the nurse has to come in at 2AM? :lol: A "Little Bitty Book Light" might be nice; those overhead lights can be brutal.

 

[tigsmom]

Love the ideas of a gift basket and some special pic of all of you.
My favorite pick me up is a crazy mylar balloon. My kids tied it to the end of my bed and every time I woke up it was the first thing I saw.

Chemo is tough and transplants are even worse. Just knowing you care will help a great deal.