General
Gifts when you are sick …
January 12, 2022
in General
What are the absolute no nos for people living w transplants? I remember when I received my kidney and then my pancreas that flowers were not allowed in the very beginning due to the risk of infection. In general I don’t love getting food or even fruit baskets / hard for people to know what you like and what works when you are sick / so better to give a blanket/candle or even offer to order out for a family! Thoughts???
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No flowers in the first months for me too. I didn't love getting food as you just weren't sure how they washed/cooked food. I've given grocery gift cards or food delivery service gift cards. An offer to help with laundry or something practical is helpful too.
The weeks leading up to and after my transplant we were blessed with gift cards. Many were gas cards because we traveled 3 hours each way to my chosen hospital. We also received restaurant, Wal- mart, Target and Visa cards as well. These were all used in the weeks following my transplant. We lived in a motel for 3 weeks afterwards. I also received blankets and a wonderful happy memory book. I’ll share more about it another time. Later friends did bring meals to us that were very much appreciated.
Not a big fan of food and flowers. Of course flowers are explicitly banned but some sneak in regardless. Good gifts would be books and gift cards. On the flip side, I'll give door dash and other various practical gift cards and usually a gift card to a department store or whatever to grab some new clothes for rehab or even something nice to celebrate the new life.
I received a gift for a delivery service for 6 months, so I could order from Target, grocery store, etc. after my transplant. They also would not allow me to have flowers.
A Delivery service is amazing. That’s a thoughtful gift for sure. I received a dish garden but since I didn’t come home for over a month I felt like it was ok. A friend did bring me a silk flower arrangement and it was so pretty and I still treasure it today.
Transplant Patient
Thanks for all the suggestions! I agree that services may be the best but it does feel nice to get something tangible once in a while )) even if the gift is a pair of yummy socks ))