How to Throw a Chemo Party
Celebrating my Chemo Graduation
Early on in treatment for ovarian cancer, I read a quote that said something like, when you go to chemo, if you are feeling okay that day, make it your mission to put a smile on someone else’s face.
For the most part, I actually enjoyed my chemotherapy appointments, and was happy to be there. First and foremost, the drugs being pumped into my veins were killing the cancer! But also, my chemo appointments were my social outing for the week — I loved my chemo nurse, and was so happy to see her and catch up every week. I had a rotating Chemo Squad of friends who would come visit me at the infusion center, and I created a weekly chemo ritual to make the whole day more enjoyable.
There was only one appointment where I was miserable — I had a splitting headache and my infusion neighbor was blasting a loud, obnoxious, Jerry-Springer-like talk show from his corner that I couldn’t drown out, but otherwise, I felt fine while I was there. So I took that quote very seriously, and during my appointments I usually chatted with other patients and caregivers there to cheer them up and comfort them.
An extension of my “bringing happiness to the infusion center” mission was throwing chemo parties, and I threw three of them in the six months I was in treatment: one at the end of my first nine-week round of infusions, one on Valentine’s Day (I deliberately scheduled my chemo appointment to fall on that holiday), and one on the last day of my second and final round of chemotherapy, or, what I called my Chemo Graduation.
I loved everything about my chemo parties! I loved preparing for them; I loved having a celebration to look forward to at my appointment that week; and I loved planning something fun for myself, my chemo nurse and the infusion center staff, my Chemo Squad friends, and the other patients.
Here are my tips for throwing a chemo party:
1) Talk to the infusion center staff. I underwent chemo before the COVID pandemic so there were fewer restrictions in healthcare facilities then. While things have mostly returned to normal in terms of visitors being allowed at medical appointments and those kinds of policies, there might still be some restrictions in place. Before you plan your party or spend a penny, talk to the front desk staff at your infusion center. Tell them exactly what you’re planning, obtain their permission before throwing your party, and find out if there are any guidelines you need to adhere to.
2) Only bring in food that’s safe to eat when immunocompromised. Since people receiving chemotherapy are immunocompromised, certain foods need to be avoided to help prevent any foodborne illnesses. For example, I remember that during chemo, I couldn’t eat anything out of those bulk bins at grocery stores. Cream-filled baked goods were another no-no. Here is a partial list of foods not to consume during chemo, and be sure to run your proposed party-food items by the staff at your infusion center in advance so they can okay them.
My Chemo Graduation Party table
3) Get some simple supplies. I am a sucker for a party-themed paper product. For my chemo parties, I bought inexpensive, decorative paper plates and napkins along the lines of this set. And you can always pick out paper goods that coordinate with a specific holiday, like Valentine’s Day.
Some of the other party supplies I purchased included:
For my Valentine’s Day party, I bought a pack of those miniature valentines you give out to all your classmates when you’re in elementary school, and wrote them out to my Chemo Squad friends, the infusion center staff, and the other patients. Here’s one mini-valentines option from Amazon.
Temporary tattoos are a fun party activity, and a great way to strike up conversation! Butterflies were my symbol of rebirth and transformation during treatment, and these temporary tattoos have a butterfly motif. There are also temporary tattoos for cat lovers, dog fanatics, and probably every theme imaginable.
Along similar lines, stickers are a festive party favor to pass out. Here’s a cute pack of waterproof stickers that can be used to decorate water bottles, laptops, and more, but the options for stickers are truly endless.
For my Chemo Graduation party, I brought beaded teal ovarian cancer awareness necklaces for everyone. Those necklaces are now only available in pink, so they will only work for breast cancer. For more color options, you could substitute these Mardi Gras beaded necklaces that come in single-color packs. There are several different colors available so you can pick the one that matches the awareness color of your type of cancer.
The Valentine’s Day Chemo Party spread
4) Pick your party foods. I stuck with sweet treats for my party snacks. To give you some ideas, for my first chemo party I got two dozen muffins. For my Valentine’s Day party I brought two boxes of assorted baked goods from a vegan, gluten-free bakery and a couple of bags of Dove dark-chocolate hearts. And for my Chemo Graduation party I got two dozen doughnuts. The key is to keep the food selection simple and inexpensive. One or two types of snacks or desserts is great — you don’t have to provide a full buffet!
5) Inquire about donations. I was on a very tight budget during cancer treatment; I didn’t have a lot of my own money to shell out, so I inquired with local bakeries to see if they’d be able to donate some baked goods for my chemo parties. I either stopped by in person (to my favorite local bakery that I went to almost every day anyway), or contacted the store via phone or email and asked to be put in touch with a manager. I explained that I was in treatment for ovarian cancer and was throwing a party at my infusion center for myself, my chemo nurse and the infusion center staff, and the other patients, and asked if they’d be able to donate one or two boxes of baked goods for my party. I was documenting my ovarian cancer diagnosis and treatment on Instagram, so I also promised all the bakeries that I’d share a thank-you post on social media, which I did after each party, but I’m pretty sure all the bakeries would have donated regardless. And I received generous baked-goods donations from three different bakeries for all three of my chemo parties!
If you and your family can afford to cover the food costs for your chemo party, that’s great! But if money is tight, think about asking a local business if they can help out with a food donation.
6) Ask friends to do the heavy lifting. One thing you do not want to do while you’re undergoing cancer treatment is make your life harder or give yourself extra work. I brought my party supplies to the infusion center for my chemo parties myself because those were easy to carry, but I enlisted friends for all three bakery pickups; I had my Chemo Squad members stop by the bakery and pick up the baked goods on their way to meet me at the infusion center on the day of my parties.
Enjoying my Valentine’s Day Chemo Party treats while getting my chemotherapy infusion
7) Enjoy it! On the day of the party, sit back, snap a few photos if you’d like, and enjoy the festivities! I loved spreading cheer and making chemo feel special for everyone at the infusion center — and I definitely enjoyed all the sweet treats!
Have you ever thrown a chemo party? Share your tips in the comments!
For more of my favorite chemo tips, read the other blog posts in my Chemo Tips series here:
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