Meet Cancer Bag

Cancer bag is the name given to the tote I used for going to hospital.  The idea came from my Mother's ‘Chemo Bag’, which I suppose is itself a variant of the go-bag (or get-gone, or jump-bag) many members of the armed forces (and their families) may be familiar with.

Cancer bag is, in it’s present incarnation, a backpack.  It is fairly light weight, yet strong.  It’s got padded shoulder straps and a carrying handle.  It has a few big pockets and some smaller ones.  And I don’t go to any follow-up appointments without it.

The day I went for my diagnosis, I grabbed a small bag and threw in a notebook, a  pen and a box of Kleenex.  I knew I’d be getting bad news.  I wanted to be at least a little prepared. 

Since that day, the contents of Cancer Bag have changed.  Cancer Bag itself has changed. 

“CancerBag Mark1” is a lovely Lands’ End zip top tote bag.  I ordered it online.   I had it monogrammed with my husband’s and my initials.  CancerBag arrived the day before I had to leave for surgery.  I was so worried about what was coming up that I was overly excited to receive it, and inadvertently frightened our postal carrier. 

The Mark1 has since been replaced by the above mentioned knapsack, but we still call the original CancerBag.   All one word.  It helps take the scary out of the 'C' word.  And when you are fighting cancer, you are also fighting fear.

I don't think this looks scary, do you?

We take CancerBag to the beach.  We take it on picnics.  We take it camping.  We take it to Great Wolf Lodge.  Everytime CancerBag goes someplace that isn’t a hospital, I win.

(Although I do get strange looks when I tell the children to put the sunscreen back in CancerBag.)