The Healing Path: Cancer Information and Community
Our Learnings, Our Love for those in Treatment and Beyond

CHOOSING THE RIGHT ITEMS FOR CHEMOTHERAPY
By Kellie Whitton September 11, 2024
Going through chemotherapy is an intense and often exhausting experience. Finding the right comfort items can make a significant difference in helping patients feel more at ease and cared for during this challenging time. At CaraKit, we believe in providing thoughtful, meaningful products that bring both physical relief and emotional comfort. Here are some of our top recommendations for comfort items that can make a world of difference for chemotherapy patients.
1. Mother of All Creams
Intense, Plant-Based Moisturizer
Chemotherapy can leave skin feeling dry and irritated. The Mother of All Creams is an intense, plant-based moisturizer designed to combat these effects. Made with natural ingredients, this cream deeply hydrates and soothes the skin, helping to restore its natural moisture balance. Its rich, luxurious formula provides long-lasting relief, making it an essential item for anyone undergoing chemotherapy.
2. Poppy & Pout Lip Balm
All-Natural & Ultra-Hydrating
One of Oprah's favorite things, Poppy & Pout Lip Balm, is a must-have for chemotherapy patients. This all-natural, eco-friendly, and cruelty-free lip balm is available in delightful flavors like Orange Blossom, Pomegranate Peach, and Wild Honey. Made with ethically-sourced beeswax, organic coconut oil, and Vitamin E, it provides ultra-hydration and protection for dry, chapped lips, ensuring they stay soft and moisturized.
3. Vitamin E Oil
100% Pure for Healing Patchy Skin
Vitamin E oil is known for its healing properties, making it an excellent choice for treating patchy or irritated skin caused by chemotherapy. This 100% pure oil helps to soothe and repair the skin, promoting healing and reducing the appearance of scars and blemishes. Its gentle, nourishing formula is perfect for sensitive skin, offering much-needed relief and care.
4. Epsom Salt
To Calm Nerves & Promote Healing
Epsom salt baths can be incredibly soothing and beneficial for chemotherapy patients. The magnesium in Epsom salt helps to calm nerves, relax muscles, and promote overall healing. A warm bath with Epsom salt can provide relief from aches and pains, reduce stress, and improve sleep quality. It's a simple yet effective way to bring comfort and relaxation to the body and mind.
Pure Pure Drop Lavender Pink Bath Salts:
Mineral-rich pink Himalayan salts are used worldwide to heal, renew, and detoxify. Our pink Himalayan salts are hand-mixed with dried lavender botanicals and infused with lavender essential oil. This combination provides a calming, soothing spa treatment you can enjoy in your home.
5. Essential Oil Roller
For Relaxation During Chemo & At Night
Essential oils are renowned for their calming and therapeutic properties. An essential oil roller can be a wonderful tool for relaxation during chemotherapy and at night. Blends that include lavender, chamomile, and eucalyptus can help ease anxiety, reduce stress, and promote restful sleep. The convenient roller application makes it easy to apply these soothing oils to pulse points for quick and effective relief.
Why These Comfort Items Matter
Choosing the right comfort items for chemotherapy patients is about more than just physical relief. It's about providing a sense of care, love, and support during a difficult time. These thoughtfully selected items from CaraKit are designed to bring both comfort and joy, helping to make the journey a little bit easier.
When selecting comfort items, look for products that are:
- Natural and Gentle: Free of harsh chemicals and safe for sensitive skin.
- Hydrating and Soothing: Provide deep moisture and relief for dry, irritated skin.
- Relaxing and Calming: Help to reduce stress, ease anxiety, and promote restful sleep.
- Thoughtfully Curated: Chosen with care to meet the specific needs of chemotherapy patients.
At CaraKit, we are dedicated to providing comfort and care for those undergoing chemotherapy. Our carefully curated gift sets are designed to offer practical assistance and emotional support, ensuring that your loved one feels cherished and cared for every step of the way.

SKINCARE PRODUCTS FOR BREAST CANCER PATIENTS
By Kellie Whitton September 11, 2024
Navigating breast cancer treatment can be overwhelming, and it often comes with the need to rethink your skincare routine. Chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery can take a toll on your skin, making it essential to find products that are gentle, soothing, and free of harsh chemicals. At CaraKit, we understand the importance of feeling comfortable and cared for during this challenging time. Here’s a guide to some of the best skincare products safe for breast cancer patients, each designed to provide comfort and care.
1. Poppy & Pout Lip Balm
Natural, Eco-Friendly, and Cruelty-Free
One of the most beloved products in our lineup, Poppy & Pout Lip Balm, is a customer favorite for a reason. This lip balm is not only featured on Oprah's Favorite Things (2021) but is also crafted with 100% natural ingredients, making it perfect for women in treatment. Available in delightful flavors like Orange Blossom, Pomegranate Peach, and Wild Honey, it combines ethically-sourced beeswax, organic coconut oil, and Vitamin E to provide ultra-hydration. The simple, natural ingredients ensure your lips stay soft and moisturized without exposure to harmful chemicals.
2. Kinfield Cooling Aloe Spray
Soothe and Hydrate Sensitive Skin
Kinfield Aloe Vera Spray is a must-have for anyone with sensitive skin, especially those undergoing cancer treatment. Its natural ingredients, including aloe vera, spearmint, eucalyptus, and cucumber, work together to soothe skin irritation, relieve burns, and aid the skin's natural healing process. The spray provides an instant cooling effect, offering immediate relief and hydration. Plus, it's paraben-free, sulfate-free, and phthalate-free, ensuring it’s gentle enough for the most sensitive skin.
3. Calendula Cream
Homeopathic Healing for Skin Irritations
Calendula Cream is a first-aid homeopathic medicine designed to promote the healing of various skin irritations, such as cuts, scrapes, chafing, minor burns, and sunburn. Its light texture makes it easy to apply, and it soothes and moisturizes the skin effectively. Calendula, known for its healing properties, ensures that your skin gets the gentle care it needs without the risk of harsh chemicals.
4. Public Goods Aloe Vera Gel
Organic, Soothing, and Multi-Purpose
Public Goods Aloe Vera Gel is a versatile product packed with skin-healing organic aloe leaf juice. This non-greasy gel deeply moisturizes and soothes minor burns, sunburns, and skin irritations. It's free of dyes, perfumes, alcohol, and parabens, making it a safe choice for sensitive skin. The clear formula absorbs quickly and won't stain clothing or furniture. Whether you use it after a day at the beach or overnight to reduce dark circles and puffiness, this gel is a beauty essential for healthier, smoother skin.
5. Waxelene Ointment and Lip Balm
Natural and Effective Moisturization
Waxelene Ointment and Lip Balm offer a natural alternative to petroleum-based products. These products provide effective moisturization and protection for dry, chapped skin and lips. Waxelene uses simple, organic ingredients like beeswax and natural oils to create a breathable barrier that locks in moisture and promotes healing without clogging pores or irritating the skin.
Choosing the Right Skincare Products
When selecting skincare products during cancer treatment, here are a few key things to look for:
- Natural Ingredients: Products made with natural, organic ingredients are less likely to irritate sensitive skin.
- Free of Harsh Chemicals: Avoid products with parabens, sulfates, phthalates, and synthetic fragrances. These can be irritating and harmful, especially during treatment.
- Hydrating and Soothing: Look for ingredients like aloe vera, coconut oil, and Vitamin E that offer deep hydration and soothing properties.
- Dermatologist-Recommended: Products that are recommended by dermatologists or specifically designed for sensitive skin are often safer choices.
- Cruelty-Free: Choose products that are not tested on animals to support ethical practices.
At CaraKit, we are committed to providing skincare solutions that are both effective and gentle. Our carefully curated products are selected to ensure they meet the highest standards of safety and comfort for women undergoing cancer treatment. You deserve to feel pampered and cared for, and with the right skincare products, you can achieve that while maintaining your health and well-being.

AN ODYSSEY IN PINK
By Kellie Whitton October 03, 2022
I’d never been a “pink” sort of girl. When I was little, my favorite color was yellow; it defines my disposition–sunny, optimistic and “it all happens for a reason.” Until breast cancer.
I was diagnosed at 43—a mom with 2 and 5 year old little boys–one month after COVID shut us all down. I had a hard time finding the silver lining, especially when friends started sending me ALL THE PINK THINGS. Pink socks, pink notebooks, pink mugs, pink blankets, pink candles. There were breast cancer and pink ribbon gifts in every shade from bubble gum to fuschia.
I’d seen the pink ribbon and breast cancer awareness month advocates on their 5K runs and via social media I supported the women who had gone through this. But I wasn’t one of them. I didn’t understand then and I certainly didn’t “feel” the pink just days after my diagnosis. I couldn’t wear the hot pink fuzzy “Fuck Cancer” socks because it was still inside me. I was begging for doctors to take it out, bargaining with cancer to leave me and my family alone. I hated the word and everything it represented. I hated hearing the word and I hated the ribbon.
During that time, my life turned into phases of treatment–chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, with daily doctor visits, scans and check-ups. But more than that, it was filled with a new sense and appreciation of the mundane and was grateful for any and all help: grocery bag drop offs by from neighbor, food ordering and dinners cooked by my husband, laying in bed in soft pajamas texting or talking to friends when I was feeling ok, managing pills and prescriptions, being with my kids and most of all tending to side effects–dry eyes, burning skin, painful scars, all of it.
But the one thing I didn’t realize about the ribbon, and the thing I have discovered through helping other women in their worst days of cancer, is that at the time of treatment, the pink ribbon can’t mean anything. It’s a promise of a future you’re not certain will come. It’s joyful enthusiasm from women who are on the other side of hell–while you’re still smack in the middle. But when you run the gauntlet, you put in the hours, you feel the pain and joy and pain of the all the good news and the bad, it starts to become something more. It starts to take shape. The pink turns into the color of your journey–led by love and hope for a life beyond.
So as I prepare for Breast Cancer Awareness month, my 3rd since diagnosis, I want to set the record straight. When someone you care about is diagnosed, please don’t send a pink ribbon. They need much more to weather the harsh days of treatment and all help is good help. But when they’re done, please celebrate with them–in pink or any color you choose–because their hard-fought battle is one worth sharing, remembering and yes even celebrating.
ITEMS IN THE RIBBON
From bottom left to bottom right
- White Baseball Hat
- IV Drip
- Ice Cream
- Bandage
- Gifts
- Aloe Vera Plant
- Books
- Skin Cream
- Oranges
- Vitals Monitor
- Eye Drops
- Water Bottle
- Cell Phone
- Banana
- Eye Glasses
- Journal
- Bags of Groceries
- A Helping Hand
- Take-Out Food
- Wedding Ring
- Kids Toys
- Medicine Dropper
- Bathtub
- Moon
- Athletic Shoes

OUR STORY
By Kellie Whitton October 03, 2022
I’m writing this from my chair at the chemo infusion center. It’s not all sad—and that’s the story I want to share. There are lots of us who need a tragedy to change.
I found a lump in March of 2020, a month after the pandemic lock-down and 1 month after my “all clear” mammogram. A giant tumor was hiding behind dense tissue. It happens 20% of the time they said. I wondered how that was ever an ok statistic?
I was working at a major movie studio in Los Angeles, owned a marketing agency on the side, and had 2 young boys who were 2 and 5 at the time. I traveled the world while my husband held down the fort and a nanny gave my kids baths and cooked dinner. And then I started chemo.
From the first infusion I felt humbled. I didn’t know what pain was until this. I’m an optimist who got mad at people who didn’t smile back in the grocery store. Then I understood—maybe they were in pain, too.
I always try to help everyone I meet. My parents stopped telling me their bucket list because I would make sure they all happened. But although I spent money and booked vacations, I wasn’t the person who showed up the most—I was busy. My dad always says the most valuable thing you have to give to someone is your time. I didn’t have any. Until I was worried I wouldn't have any more.
The first thing my husband said to me after the diagnosis was, “It’s not your fault.” But I knew it was. I’d been pushing too hard, not eating well, not exercising. I’d kept on the baby weight and stopped taking care of myself. That’s what working moms do, right?
Then my neighbor showed up. Over and over. We weren’t close friends but she just didn’t go away. She got our grocery list from my husband when I ignored her texts. She ordered up chicken noodle soup delivery on my infusion days and had it delivered. She estimated my solo-drive time to the doctor’s office and called to take my mind off of the pending test results. She took the time. And I learned through her what that looked like.
I spend my time now packing cancer care packages for women in treatment. I used my marketing background to do qualitative and quantitative research so I knew what worked for a majority of women during treatment and it wasn’t just based on my experience. I want to listen now. I published a public calendar during Breast Cancer Awareness Month this month to let anyone sign up to talk to me in 30 minute slots. Just to talk and I would listen. Give advice if they wanted it. But just to give my time.
I'm committed to educating friends and family more about women in treatment. They don't need your pink ribbon gear. They probably don't identify with pink ribbons at all (yet). They need you to understand that they are the same but different. They want to do everything they did before but can't. They want you to be your normal self even if they can't be theirs. They want you to learn about what they're going through--not the treatment specifics and cancer pathology--but the emotional journey. It's hard. It's terrifying. And every little thing you can do to help, will help.
We've set up CaraKit to provide help to friends and family who want to help in a practical way. To make the process less scary for them and their loved one. We want to support their mind, body and spirit because all are supremely important. And we want to do our best to help those going through this, however we can.

A CANCER CAREGIVER’S TOOL KIT
By Kelley Nichols February 04, 2022
When a close family member is diagnosed with cancer, it can be devastating. Your loved one will go through so much during his or her treatment—but the truth is, so will you. Keeping your strength and spirits up will be critical in the battle ahead, so if you’re one of the soldiers in this fight, here are a few tools to help along the way.

WHAT TO SAY (AND NOT SAY) TO A CANCER PATIENT
By Kellie Whitton February 04, 2022

THE MOST DIFFICULT GIFT TO GIVE
By Kelley Nichols February 04, 2022