Boulder City has a lot of truly wonderful people and Dyanah Musgrave is one of those people. We recently had a chance to chat with her about a very special — and personal — project she is working on to help those in our community who are going through chemotherapy. Chemotherapy Care Containers are a collection of needed and comforting items for patients who are taking the cancer treatment,
The idea was born out of necessity, unfortunately. Dyanah was diagnosed with colon cancer in February 2020 and after research, opted for six months of chemotherapy treatment. Not knowing exactly what to expect was concerning. Her doctors had prepared her for the medical issues she might experience, but weren’t able to provide information about how to navigate the various side effects.
The Chemotherapy Care Containers are stocked with a large selection of items to assist chemotherapy patients. Here is just a small sampling of the items that go into the boxes:
- Time stamped water bottle to ensure patients stay sufficiently hydrated
- Small ginger grater to add ginger to water or food to help reduce nausea
- Queasy Pops that help reduce nausea and also help with dry mouth
- Papaya Enzyme to reduce heartburn
- Port Pillow — this pillow lessens the pressure and protects chemo ports while in the car
- Blank notebooks for journaling
- Hat or scarf to cover the head and keep the patient warm
- Gin Gin ginger candies, also help with nausea
- Small game books, like word searches, crossword puzzles, etc.
- Bamboo utensils in a nice caddy, to combat the metallic taste in the mouth that accompanies chemo treatment
- And many more useful, soothing items
Another important component of this project is Dyanah’s personal visit with the patient and the patient’s family to discuss the ins and outs of chemotherapy treatment. They set up a true support system so that unpleasant situations don’t occur, particularly on days when the patient isn’t feeling well.
This is Dyanah’s passion, but she acknowledges she’s had plenty of help along the way. Ladies of the community have sewn, knitted and crocheted dozens of hat and scarves, as well as table setting caddies. They’ve donated journals, stuffed animals, water bottles, and game books. The online Facebook group Women In Support of Women in Boulder City recently held a fundraiser where over $400 was generated to help Dyanah purchase some of the items for the boxes.
Dyanah has big plans for her community outreach. She hopes one day to make this a global charity, dedicated to serving people around the world undergoing chemotherapy. Working toward that goal, she’s assisted people here in Boulder City, of course, but she’s also coordinated shipments of boxes to other states and meets with out-of-state families using Zoom virtual meetings.
We think Dyanah is an angel for all she does for the community! You can find out how to receive a box or sponsor one by contacting her via email HERE.
