Community provides snacks for children at Edwards Cancer Institute

Luna McClanahan, right, poses for a photo with Jodi Smith, RN, next to a wagon full of donated snacks for young patients at Edwards Cancer Institute.

Sometimes you just need a pack of Oreos to make your infusion day bearable. So, when the nurses at Marshall Health Network – Edwards Cancer Institute realized they were running low on their young patients’ favorite snacks, they knew they needed help.

Jodi Smith, RN, rallied support, inspiring an outpouring of generosity from the community. Within days, donations began arriving, filling a closet top to bottom with snacks that would help bring comfort to children receiving chemotherapy and other infusions.

Donated snacks to help comfort young patients fill a closet at Edwards Cancer Institute.

“It’s really been such a big blessing,” Smith said. “We've been able to share snacks to Pediatrics, PICU and the Ronald McDonald House because we're all kind of one big family for children.”

As word spread, donations arrived from near and far—some sent in memory of past patients or from families currently facing similar battles.

“We're just like so thankful for our community, and it’s even gone beyond,” Smith said. “We have received packages from Georgia and Florida. We have packages in memory of kids that have passed, packages from current oncology patients, from our infusion patients, people I went to high school with, people I went to nursing school with, people that I used to work with in other states.”

While the hospital cafeteria works hard to provide snacks, staff can’t always find “the good stuff,” like specific brands or safe foods. Keeping a variety of snacks on hand helps ease the experience of receiving chemotherapy or other infusions while relieving the burden on families.

“We recently had a young patient who had to have multiple needle injections and he was very anxious, but he loves Oreos,” Smith said. “We searched the whole hospital, but we couldn’t find any.

“It might sound silly, that it’s just Oreos but we feel so much more prepared to take care of a young patient. We have to do the hard things – stick them with needles – but then we get to cuddle and give them a snack. It’s such a blessing to be able to provide.”

Jodi Smith, RN, and patient Luna McClanahan pose for a photo.

Along with snacks, some gift cards were also donated for the older patients to order fast food. The snacks live in a room with donated toys, which also help ease burdens and raise spirits.

“We are incredibly grateful for every donation that helps provide comfort and care to our young patients and their families," said Kristi Arrowood, director of MHN Foundations. "These acts of generosity, both big and small, make a real difference in the lives of the children we serve, and we are thankful for a community that steps up to support them."

To learn about the many ways you can support the patients at any Marshall Health Network facility, visit www.mhnfoundations.org/. 

To learn more about Edwards Cancer Institute, visit www.edwardscancerinstitute.org/.