Providing comfort and hope in the midst of cancer by those who have experienced cancer themselves.
Get Involved"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Stage4 started as two friends with stage 4 cancer making cards around a table to thank people that had blessed them. It has grown far beyond what either of them ever expected.
Our way of sharing comfort is creating comfort bags for people who have been diagnosed with cancer. Each bag is handcrafted and filled with things that we believe will be comforting based on our own experiences.
Stage4 bags are hand-made by skilled volunteers. We put our hearts into every bag to ensure it is full of love before we put anything in it.
It's hard to regulate your temperature with cancer, a fluffy blanket helps.
We put puzzle books into the bags because we believe in the power of diversion therapy. Solving puzzles helps take your mind off of the treatment.
We put together hand-made cards to send to people who have blessed you. Along with the cards is a list of tips from people who have already been through treatment and know what you are going through. There is also a personal note for you and an envelope with blessing cards, which is a pack of 7 cards with scriptures on one side and a prayer on the other side for every day. When we have them, there is also an angel pin in the women’s bags because Sherry believed in the power of angels.
A pencil, pen, Kleenex, chapstick, and hand sanitizer to help get you through treatment.
Sherry said mints and gummies helped to settle her stomach after treatment. Terry says try Queasy Drops. The lemon drops are sugar free.
Your thoughts are valuable, sometimes it helps to keep track of them.
Ray said hot tea made him feel better after treatment. We know treatment is rough, we hope the tea helps others too.
The children of St. Luke’s Church painted and blessed this stone for you, it is one of the most beloved items in the bag.
Jan says warm socks help cold feet and toes.
A new water bottle may help you to stay hydrated.
Stage4 distributes bags filled with helpful tips, inspirational messages, and practical gifts to those beginning their cancer treatment journey. The staff of local cancer infusion centers in our area gives these bags out.
Many of the volunteers in our Stage4 group have been treated for the same cancers as those receiving the bags. Those volunteers desire to offer hope to the bag recipients, hope that there is life on the other side of cancer treatment and the knowledge that they are not alone. Others in our group are currently in cancer treatment. Stage4 provides a place where they can gather with people undergoing similar treatments.
And finally, there are those who will be in treatment for the rest of their lives. Stage4 gives everyone in these situations the ability to reach out with compassion to those beginning what can be a lonely and frightening journey.