The Department of Radiology's breast imaging program and the Department of Surgery's breast care program are collecting items for their second annual Chemo Care Package Drive.
The drive is collecting warm items-socks, hats, scarves, throw blankets, and headscarves-for patients undergoing treatment for cancer, along with other items that help patients with side effects of chemotherapy.
Donations can be made through Sept. 30 by:
- placing an order through the drive's Amazon Wishlist
- dropping items in the drop box located in the Milstein Heart Center lobby
- donating money at gofundme (all funds will be used to purchase items on the wishlist)
Care packages will be distributed in October to people undergoing cancer treatment.
In 2023, the Chemo Care drive distributed more than 400 care packages to patients undergoing cancer treatment at CUIMC. The drive was organized by staff members of the Departments of Radiology, Surgery, and Medicine including (from left) Kristina Howard, oncology practice supervisor, Department of Medicine; Wynthia Peakes, breast imaging program coordinator, Department of Radiology; Melissa Acevedo, LPN, Department of Surgery; and Rebecca Hidalgo, patient navigator, Department of Radiology.
Last year, the drive distributed more than 400 care packages, each containing two or three items, says Wynthia Peakes, coordinator of the breast imaging program at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, who created the drive.
"Giving a little gift to people makes them feel nice during a stressful time," Peakes says. "We are a service department, and although patients are with us for only a small piece of their cancer journey, they are always in our hearts and minds. We want to make everyone feel thought of and cared for."
