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Jennifer's Story

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Journey Bags began when our founder, Jennifer Riley, saw a need to help cancer patients get connected to resources as they begin treatments.   As Jennifer battled stage 3b ductal carcinoma breast cancer in 2021, she found herself searching for items that were not available in her rural town of Murray, Kentucky.  Not only did she not have close access to things like wig shops, there were so many things she didn’t know she would need during her fight. What she did know, however, was that she wanted to give purpose to her diagnosis by forming a group that would make it a little easier for other cancer patients to navigate their cancer journeys. Jennifer gathered a group of family and friends who have all been affected by cancer either as a patient, a caregiver, or an immediate family member of a cancer patient. Her idea was to give each patient at their local hospital (Murray Calloway County Hospital) a bag full of items that would be potentially needed during treatments. Bags include the following:

 

  • Beanie

  • Cap

  • Peppermints

  • Tea Bags

  • Queezy Drops

  • Devotional Book

  • Water Bottle

  • Journal and Pen

  • Gripper Socks

  • Playing Cards

  • Lip Balm

  • Silk Pillow Case

 

For the ladies, we add:

  • Coloring Book

  • Colored Pencils

  • Mud Love Bracelet

 

Kids receive items such as:

  • Books

  • Coloring Books

  • Sketch Books

  • Colored Pencils or Crayons

  • Journals and Pens

  • Chemo Barbie (Elementary and Tween Girls)

  • Rubix Cube (Tweens and Teens)

  • Playing Cards/Card Games

  • Bubbles (Preschool and Elementary)

  • Monster Trucks (Elementary Boys)

  • Electronic Drawing Tablet (Elementary)

  • Warmies Stuffed Animal (Preschool)

  • Play Doh (Preschool, Elementary, Tween)

  • Bluetooth Speaker (Tween and Teen)

  • Popper Sensory (Toy Elementary and Tween)

 

In addition, every patient will receive access to a directory of resources that they will likely need during their journey. This directory will include links and contact information for the places they can find these things. This is, perhaps, one of the most important parts of our mission.

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*Items included in the bags will vary according to age-appropriateness and availability.  The items above may change at any time; however, Journey Bags ensures that all bags will be comprehensive.

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