Circle of Care: Bags of Love

As Valentine's season draws nearer, cancer organization Circle of Care turns their attention to putting together Bags of Love for newly diagnosed cancer patients.

The Bags of Love program was started by the two cofounders of Circle of Care who were the parents of cancer patients.

“They recognized when their children were in treatment that there were a lot of gaps that were missing from just what the family needed.” Circle of Care Programs Associate Kerri Mims said. 

Circle of Care helps to bridge the gap between him and the hospital while the child is receiving treatment. Circle of Care also helps to provide financial support to those who need it, this includes paying mortgages and helping with bills. 

Bags of Love is a care package that is given to the family upon being diagnosed with pediatric cancer, the bag is filled with what the patient and their family will need for their first hospital stay. This includes comfort items and other resources for down the road as the first hospital stay tends to last at least a few weeks. The bags also include a book or toy to help fill the hours spent in the hospital room because typically the cancer patient is in isolation for a few days after their diagnosis.

“We try to customize it whether it’s a child or a teenager or a young adult. If it’s a young child, there’s a book we put in there called I’m Still Me and it just tells the young children that even though they are faced with this diagnosis, they are still who they were,” Mims said.

One other thing that gets put in each Bag of Love is a thermometer, this is especially helpful as fevers are a high risk for cancer patients, specifically pediatric cancer patients, as their immune system is weak. 

On average, Circle of Care puts together one-hundered and thirty Bags of Love every year.

“Our Bags of Love cost about one hundred and fifty dollars between the bag and all the contents," Mims said.

This year, Circle of Care is hoping to raise between five and ten thousand dollars in the month of February, their designated fundraising month for Bags of Love.

“But we’re always happy with anything. All donations help,” Mims said. 

This past year, Circle of Care has put together a Teen Leadership Board of highschoolers who have finished their cancer treatment to help with the fundraising for events like this, especially because they know what they need at the beginning of treatment and understand how hard it really is.

“The Teen Board is bringing in a sort of young perspective and voice, but it’s certainly added an additional fundraising component that we did not have before,” Mims said. 

Circle of Care partners with four hospitals in Connecticut to distribute their Bags of Love and help cancer patients during their treatment.

“Our main four partner hospitals are Yale New Haven, Connecticut Children’s Hospital, which is in Westchester, New York. And then Bay State Medical Center which is in Springfield Massachusetts,” Mims said.

Due to clinical trials or possible complications there are many reasons that someone who lives in Connecticut wouldn’t be being treated in a Connecticut hospital. As long as the patient is a Connecticut resident or is being treated at one of these four partner hospitals, Circle of Care will send them a Bag of Love.