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As we head into the holiday season, we’ve been asking one simple question: What’s the most meaningful gift you’ve ever received?
Maybe you think of a favorite blanket, a piece of jewelry, or the newest video game. Maybe it was something handmade—a photo album, a scarf, a framed picture that made you feel seen. Whatever it was, you probably knew the moment you held it that you would treasure it forever.
During the holidays, it’s easy to get swept up in the hustle—shopping lists, decorating, planning meals, and trying to fit it all in. Families are busy picking out the perfect tree or prepping for their favorite holiday dinners (we’re exhausted just thinking about it).
But for those facing a life-changing cancer diagnosis, the holidays can look very different. Whether you’re in treatment or caring for someone who is, life often slows down. Priorities shift. The focus narrows to what really matters: time, love, presence, and the small gestures that make the hard days more bearable.
For this week’s article, we invited current cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers to share stories about the most meaningful gift they received during the holidays while going through treatment or recovery.
The responses we received were uplifting, moving, and often very funny—a powerful reminder that a meaningful gift doesn’t have to be big or expensive. It just has to be given with love, presence, and thoughtfulness.
From: Rebecca Bloom – advocate, navigator, listener
Rebecca has worked with cancer patients for decades in women’s health. The gift she gives isn’t wrapped in paper or tied with a bow—but for many women, it’s life-changing.
“Having worked with cancer patients over many years as an advocate, navigator and listener, I’ve realized that the most meaningful gift, especially during the stressful holiday season, is a loose-leaf notebook that I keep at my desk. I tell the woman I’m supporting to give me all the papers—the explanations of benefits, bills, notes and notifications—and offer to monitor deadlines and check things for accuracy. I also pledge to handle any appeals that may be necessary. It’s not a traditional gift, but it soothes anxiety and makes women feel less alone on their health journeys and makes more space for their healing.”
Sometimes the most meaningful gift is simply: You don’t have to carry this alone.
From: Edward, a 13-year non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivor
Edward shared a story from Christmas 2011—just three weeks after he was diagnosed with rare enlarged B-cell, Burkitt's-like non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (stage 1B). He had already completed his first round of chemo and felt his life begin to crumble.
Yet he loves Christmas—the lights, the joy, the traditions—and he was thrilled to be going home, if only for a moment, to escape hospitals, needles, and chemo.
For context, the year before, his younger sister had gone through a very difficult time. Edward had told her:
“Listen to Hold On from The Secret Garden musical—it has gotten me through, it can get you through too. Find strength and courage in music.”
He had no idea how deeply she took this to heart.
On Christmas morning, with the whole family gathered around the tree, his little sister eagerly grabbed the first gift and handed him a thin, square package.
Inside was a black-and-white photo of the two of them at the beach from his last visit before chemo started. Around the photo, an artist friend had painted the lyrics from Hold On:
“It’s this storm not you that’s bound to blow away; Hold On!”
In that moment, Edward realized that not only had his sister listened to his advice, she had woven it back into his life just when he needed it most.
Today, 13 years later, that artwork still hangs prominently in his home—a daily reminder to press on, to hold on, and of the enduring love and support of his family.
Edward shared that this experience is part of why he is now launching The Remission Film Festival with Blood Cancer United in 2026, the first festival of its kind featuring creators who have been impacted by cancer.
From: Nancy Thompson – sister, publicist, storyteller
Nancy used her PR skills in the most personal way—for her brother Ritchie.
Ritchie was a Juilliard-trained double bassist who rebuilt old violins from his Long Island workshop while battling brain cancer and raising a son with severe autism. In 2005, Nancy saw a ProfNet call from Entrepreneur magazine looking for six-figure eBay success stories.
She pitched her brother—without telling him.
They said yes. A photographer showed up at his door. The published story became a gift he carried for the rest of his life. It captured who he was beyond his illness—his talent, his creativity, and his quiet impact on others.
After he died in 2011, that same photo was displayed at his funeral. Later, a former client whose life Ritchie had quietly changed took the photo home.
As Nancy put it, that was when she truly understood what PR—and storytelling—can do:
It can witness someone’s life.
It can say, “You mattered.”
She later wrote about this experience in her Substack piece, “A Visitation, A Feature, A Lasting Legacy.”
From: Julie Daubenmire – pediatric cancer mom
Julie’s 10-year-old daughter was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, in August 2024. That holiday season, a pediatric cancer nonprofit in central Ohio, NC4K, offered a gift that brightened their world in the simplest, most magical way.
Volunteers came to their home to hang Christmas lights and decorate the yard. The family got to choose lawn decorations from an online catalog—snowmen, candy canes, an elf.
Julie will never forget that afternoon. Her daughter watched from the window as volunteers transformed their home into a glowing, festive scene. That memory still brings tears to her eyes.
Today, her daughter is in remission. And when people ask Julie what they can do for families facing cancer during the holidays, her answer is simple:
“Get a group together or hire a company to decorate their house.”
Because sometimes joy looks like twinkling lights outside a hospital-weary window.
From: Jen Davidson – daughter, mother, keeper of memories
In 2019, Jen’s mom was in hospice. She and her sister had already lost their dad five years earlier. They took turns sleeping beside their mom, trading nights so one could rest.
One night, knowing her mom wouldn’t make it to another Christmas, Jen asked if she would record messages for each of their loved ones—her children, her husband, and her sister’s family. Her mom gently rocked in her chair as Jen pressed record.
They captured seven messages in all. Her mom’s voice was slow and strained, but every word was full of love, wisdom, and encouragement. When she finished, she looked at Jen and said:
“I’m tired now. I need to rest.”
They never spoke again.
Her mom didn’t record a message just for Jen—and Jen didn’t need one. Being there, helping her create those “little time capsules of love and advice,” was the gift.
When the holidays came, Jen sent each family member their recording. Some listened right away; others waited until they were ready. Each one now has a piece of her mom they can keep forever.
“Hold onto memories, record voices, and tell your stories. They are the biggest gift we can ever give and receive.”
Jen’s mom, Kathy Shoemaker, passed away on 9/7/2019 from stage 4 lung/brain cancer—but her voice continues to speak into the lives of those she loved.
From: Anonymous – caregiver and friend
Not all meaningful gifts are serious. Sometimes, they’re delightfully irreverent.
One caregiver shared the story of a mug she bought for a friend going through a cancer scare. The mug read:
“If tears could burn calories, I’d be a supermodel by now.”
Her friend was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2024. After surgery and radiation, she became cancer-free—but that mug became a regular companion, making her chuckle every time she used it.
Later, she passed the mug on to her sister, who was going through a divorce. Her sister burst out laughing when she opened it.
“Sometimes a smile is the start to recovery.”
For those who want one of their own, the mug can be found on Etsy
From: Lisa – creator of light
Lisa shared the story of a candle made by the wife of a firefighter battling stage 4 lung cancer.
What started as pouring wax wasn’t just about making something pretty. It was about creating a bit of light in a very dark season.
Each candle became:
• a quiet prayer,
• a small act of hope,
• a reminder that even when the world feels unbearably heavy, we can still shine.
As Lisa describes it:
“It’s more than a candle—it’s courage you can hold in your hand.”
From: Bron Watson – mum, survivor, giver
Bron has lived through multiple cancer diagnoses: breast cancer in 2017 and multiple myeloma in 2023. She jokes that she collects diagnoses like other people collect houseplants.
One festive season, she was still bald, recovering from a stem cell transplant, and trying to navigate life with five boys—three of whom were in the next room while she tried to muster the energy to simply keep going.
Then the doorbell rang.
Two strangers from a local church stood there, each holding a grocery bag filled with food and treats. Someone had given them her name.
Inside the bags were everyday items and little extras—food, goodies for the kids, custard powder, and a cake. Nothing extravagant. Just deeply thoughtful.
For someone who never found it easy to ask for help, this simple act of kindness broke through her exhaustion and disbelief. They reminded her that:
• receiving is not weakness,
• we all need connection,
• we’re not meant to do hard things alone.
That surprise delivery did more than feed her family. It fed her spirit.
Now, whenever she hears about someone going through a hard time, Bron fills up a carrier bag with practical groceries and delivers it—simply because she knows firsthand the power of that gesture.
“I know the gift of giving,” she says. And she has become, for others, the kindness that once appeared at her own door.
Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us before the holidays go into full gift-giving mode.
These stories remind us that the true meaning of the season isn’t found in how much we spend, but in how deeply we care. The most meaningful gifts:
• ease someone’s burden,
• remind them they’re not alone,
• witness their life and say “You matter,”
• capture a voice or a moment that might otherwise be lost,
• bring joy, humor, and light into the hardest days.
When life feels overwhelming, one kind gesture—a notebook, a framed lyric, a magazine feature, a string of Christmas lights, a recorded message, a funny mug, a handmade candle, or a bag of groceries—can mean the world.
That’s the power of one meaningful gift given from the heart—to a family member, a friend, a patient, or even a stranger.
From all of us at Cancer Bites Podcast and Growing To Give, we wish you a gentle, hopeful holiday season. May you give—and receive—a gift that is extra meaningful this year.
And if you’d like to keep hearing stories like these, tune in to the Cancer Bites Podcast, produced by Growing To Give. Each week, we bring together survivors, caregivers, medical professionals, and compassionate voices from all walks of life to share their experiences, their lessons, and their light.
Rebecca Bloom
Author of When Women Get Sick: An Empowering Approach for Getting the Support You Need
• Website
• Book
Edward Miskie
Nancy Thompson
• Website
• Substack
Jen Davidson
• Website
Lisa
• Candle
Bron Watson
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