Tennessee native creates chemo kits
JACKSON, Tenn. — One Tennessee native is giving back to cancer patients after being personally affected by the disease.
Sidney Church is a grad student at the University of Tennessee at Martin.
In her last semester as an undergraduate, she moved back with her parents to help her family battle her dad’s fight with cancer.
“So my dad passed away last August. He battled cancer for three and a half years, and actually, my last semester of being an undergraduate student I decided to take classes online classes move back home and be with him,” Church said.
Darrin Church was treated at Murry Regional Cancer Center.
“I remember being in this room and seeing all of these people going through chemo. My dad took chemo orally, so he didn’t have any infusions. But that didn’t mean that his side affects were any less severe,” Church said.
Church wanted to honor her father’s life and came up with the idea of chemotherapy kits.
Each kit holds $100 worth of items that could help someone going through the same disease as her father.
“My Amazon Wishlist had enough things for 12 kits, and I was like two weeks, you know, this is a lot of money, this are a lot of items to ask for. But I think in 12 weeks we can get these kits filled,” Church said.
The kits contain blankets, thermometers, chapstick, tummy drops, acupuncture wristlets and much more.
Within three hours of putting out her first Wishlist, she received enough supplies for 24 kits. Now, she’s at 48.
“Some of these were people who knew me, who knew my dad, and some of these people were complete strangers. And so for them to put their faith in me and help me go way above and beyond anything I can ever imagine,” Church said.
Church came up with the idea just in time for World Cancer Day on February 4. On that day, she plans on passing out the kits in Union City, Dyersburg, and will take the remaining kits to, Murry Regional Hospital.
To follow Church’s Wishlist here.
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