In Defense of The Cancer Card

Written by Liz Benditt

Every once in a while, customers ask us to make minor edits or substitutions to their gift boxes. The most common is for us to support celiac cancer patients by swapping out the delicious albeit glutinous cookies in our Best Cancer Care or Finest Radiation Box for something else – usually additional Tea Drop® flavored teas or a tin of ginger mints.

But lately, we’ve had a few requests to remove the “Cancer Card” from gift boxes – and I’m not entirely sure why. My sense is that the irreverent tone implied by a physical “Cancer Card” does not align with the intended recipient’s sense of humor. Given that our boxes are focused on providing functional, useful items, I can see how this seemingly silly, irreverent item may seem out of place among lip balms, lotions, and blankets.

As a cancer survivor I follow many online forums, groups, and communities as well as some scientific research… at least the abstracts of articles written for real-medical people unlike myself. And my (non-scientific) takeaway is that patients who maintain a positive outlook, those who can make jokes about the MANY indignities that come with cancer surgeries and treatments, bounce back faster, and have better outcomes. Here’s a list of a few of the hard-data research reports to support this takeaway:

• Do positive psychological characteristics predict cancer incidence and survival? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 147(1), 50-74. Chida, Y., Hamer, M., Wardle, J., & Steptoe, A. (2021).
• Psychological resilience and survival among patients with breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Cancer Management and Research, 12, 10925-10933. Hu, L., Zhang, Y., & Wang, Y. (2020).
• Positive psychological interventions improve immune response and recovery in patients with head and neck cancer. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 89, 59-65. Lutgendorf, S. K., Slavich, G. M., & Anderson, B. (2020).

While we ALL have moments of weakness, of feeling deeply sad and angry and frustrated by the unfairness of it all, pushing through those feelings to focus on the positive does in fact help patients recover more quickly and fully.

While it's small and certainly can seem a little silly, the "Cancer Card" is meant to be an aid in making the best of a bad situation. The instructions are lighthearted and encourage patients to flash their Cancer Card to skip unwanted chores, claim the remote control, pick the ice cream pint flavor… all with the ultimate goal of helping them feel ever-so-slightly more empowered. 

Humor can absolutely be subjective, and I certainly cannot tell anyone how to feel or demand they find the same things humorous, ironic, or funny that I do. But the Cancer Card is in fact a real tool for patients undergoing cancer treatments; and if used appropriately, can absolutely improve their outcomes.

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Here's a list of boxes that include a Cancer Card:

• The Best Cancer Care Box (all sizes)
• The Best Mastectomy Care Package (Size Comprehensive & Tremendous)
• The Finest Radiation Care Package (all sizes)
• The Sweetest Rest & Recovery Box (all sizes)

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Disclaimer: I am a 6x cancer survivor, and not a medical expert in any way whatsoever. Defer to folks with actual medical experience regarding any medical condition(s). There. Sending hugs to my darling friend and attorney who can breathe again. 😘