Often times, raising money for any kind of cause can be a daunting task. People may try to have food markets, movie nights, baked sales, and more. With the recent state of things, this may have been difficult to do. The good news is, is that no matter how people make a health donation, it helps others.
Making health donations can help with a variety of things such as:
- Transportaiton expenses
- Food expenses
- Other travel expenses
- Medical expenses
- Unforseen expenses
Giving money as a health donation not only helps the individual receiving treatment, but it too helps the individuals who are helping the one receiving treatment. In recent news, gaming has helped with these types of donations. Gaming is something that is constantly growing in popularity.
Gaming: A fun way to give back
No matter the type of game, individuals have begun to create competitions in the gaming world. These competitions give gamers something to look forward to. It helps fellow gamers connect to other individuals virtually. The good thing about these types of competitions is that they can all be done remotely, making it a perfect solution to social distancing during the pandemic.
Gaming is a fun way for citizens to give back whether it be to make health donations for someone’s life insurance or whether it be to help cover the expenses of vision care for someone getting eye surgery.
No matter the surgery or medical expense, gaming is a fun way to connect individuals from around the world in one system. Aside from this, it helps people give back while having fun at the same time. This provides a little best of both worlds.
Who has done this before?
Awesome Games Done Quick, otherwise known as AGDQ, has raised a ton of money in a short amount of time. These funds that are raised go directly to health expenses like hospice agencies. Hospice agencies need funding for a variety of things such as:
- New linens for new patients
- Food
- Firs Aid equipment
- Coffee for visitors
- Other refreshments and snacks
- Furniture for family members to relax
- hospice equipment, and more.
Organizations like Awesome Games Done Quick allows funds to be raised through a series of gaming competitions. These are all divided into a series of months.
What does Awesome Games Done Quick do?
Awesome Games Done Quick has raised over 2.7 million dollars for charity in 2021 alone. This organization has created a fun way to give back and many people look forward to this event each year. People get to participate in something they love, which is gaming. The games they play differ, but as you can see, gaming is something done for the greater good.
This year, Awesome Games Done Quick raised money for cancer treatment. Individuals who are receiving treatment for cancer will be able to have some relief in their medical bills. We all know that medical bills can pile up to our eyeballs. Before we know it, we scratch our heads on how to pay, when can we pay the bills, and what will come next if we cannot pay the bill.
Unfortunately, payment is costly no matter the type of cancer one has. The good news is, Awesome Games Done Quick is on a mission to help combat these costs for individuals who have cancer. They are the saving grace amidst the trialing time many individuals with cancer face after they are diagnosed with cancer.
What if I don’t play games?
If you do not play or enjoy watching games, that is okay; there are other ways to give back. Here are a few tips on ways to give a health donation, monetary and non-monetary ways.
Donate Some Clothes
This tip is a non-monetary health donation. One may wonder how this is a donation at all. The short answer is, many individuals may lose weight depending on the type of treatment they are receiving for cancer. They often need new clothes, warmer clothes, or items to keep them more comfortable during and after their scheduled treatment.
Donating your clothes can help someone in need, especially with the number of expenses they are having to dish out in body treatment care or saving up money to see a skin care doctor after they complete their treatment.
Think about donating your time
Like the gamers who take part in gaming to raise money for a health donation, think about giving your time. Time is an invaluable asset. Some individuals are battling cancer on their own. Having a frequent visitor during treatment can help boosts their spirits.
If you are unable to be with them during their treatment, consider being empathetic, especially if you work in the facilities where the individual is receiving treatment. For instance, if you have a surgical tech job, and are in the room where someone is receiving treatment, engage in genuine conversation with them. Engaging in even five minutes of conversation can change the individuals’ entire outlook on their treatment journey.
Give the individual something special
If you know the individual fairly well, consider giving them a small gift. This can look like:
- Food for the day
- A new pillow
- New music suggestions to listen to
- Purchasing them online office supplies
- Buying them a new watch
- Making encouraging videos for their treatment day
The options of giving something special to someone is endless. Whether you are in a romantic relationship with this person or not, giving something small can speak volumes to them.
If you have experience with helping someone through their treatment journey of cancer, you can give the individual tips on what may or may not work for them during their own treatment journey with cancer.
It is good to keep in mind that everyone’s journey is different. People’s bodies may react differently to treatment than others. It may take individuals two times of treatment compared to someone who only had to go through treatment once.
This brings us to our next tip:
Give sound advice and motivation
It is easy for us to get down when something does not go according to our plan. If you have ever experienced cancer treatment yourself, or with a loved one, you know that this journey is not easy. What does make it bearable aside from a health donation, is the constant support of those around you.
When you have a friend or family member research the side effects of treatment and seeing what causes pelvic pain, for instance, can work wonders for the individual receiving treatment. This is merely one example of how researching can go a long way for someone.
Motivation is a fleeting feeling. Too often, we offer words of encouragement, but they leave the individual or ourselves the moment we step into another experience, room, or situation that impacts our health and wellbeing.
Encourage individuals to listen to podcasts. See which ones you think they will enjoy. I find that having someone else on the other end of the headphones or phone, can capture the individual’s attention and allows them to experience motivation on their own.
Motivational speeches often look at what the individual is facing and applies a general message to the audience.
Making an anonymous health donation
Often times, individuals will start to pay for the person’s order behind them in a fast food line. This gets the art of giving going as each passenger pays for the other person’s order since their order has been paid in full. This is one general example of the art of giving. Too often, individuals wish to make donations, but do not wish to be recognized for it, which is acceptable.
If you are wondering how to make a monetary health donation to someone, consider sending it to them without a return address. If your donation is a large amount, consider hand delivering it to the individual’s treatment provider. Always ask if you can remain anonymous. The majority of medical professionals are often bound by confidentiality clauses, so this will be fairly easy for you to give without any recognition.
If you rather not visit the place where the individual is seeking treatment, that is also acceptable. A different way you can go about giving a monetary donation is to have someone else deliver it. Before you do this, ensure that:
- The individual is trustworthy
- You instruct the individual to not give out your information
- You seal the monetary donation in a secure envelope
- You do not provide the individual with the amount of money you are donating
All of this is not to worry that something will occur with your monetary donation. However, it is always best to practice safe tips when giving a large amount of money to someone for their benefit. If you are giving someone else the authority to handle the money, it is best to provide written and verbal instructions on how to do so.
Check in with the individual receiving treatment
Too often we get busy with our day-to-day activities and forget to communicate and check-in with those we love and support. One way to ensure you are checking in on someone is to set a reminder on your phone to contact the individual. If you know when the individual will be receiving treatment, it is a good idea to check on them after they receive the treatment or give them encouraging thoughts or prayers before they go in for their treatment.
A phone call can go a long way. During the state of our current health pandemic, it always best to practice safety when visiting someone else who is receiving cancer treatment. To be sure you are keeping them and yourself safe, consider:
- Wearing a mask
- Washing your hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds
- Maintaining appropriate distance in feet
- Asking if it is okay to see them in person
If the individual is not comfortable with being seen in person, try to understand where they are coming from. When individuals are going through cancer treatment, their bodies are adapting to the treatment. This may cause their immune system to weaken momentarily depending on the type of treatment.
One way to see the person without having to worry about physical contact is to use virtual video calls. There are different applications available to do this on your computer or phone. Search which one offers the best features you are looking for. Then, ask the individual who is receiving treatment to download the same application so the two of you can get together and talk about not only how their treatment is going, but their day to day activities.
Try to give them normalcy
Depending on the individual, they may wish to have some sense of normalcy. When someone is diagnosed with cancer, this often changes their outlook on life. Aside from this, it too changes their day to day schedules and routines. For some, individuals have a certain time frame of when they can eat and are instructed what to eat before treatment.
For others, their doctors may ask them to get a certain amount of sleep and a limited amount of activity. If someone used to be very active, this may be hard for them to adapt to.
Some families may end up making t-shirts for one another. Others may have group family text messages. See what the individual is wanting in terms of support. Too often, we tend to think of ideas and ways to help without directly asking the individual how we can help them. The goal is to not overhwelm the individual, rather, it is to assist them in normalizing their new way of life as much as one can.
Majority of individuals seeking treatment may not ever ask for a health donation. Instead, they may ask for help traveling to their appointments. They could also ask you to keep them in your thoughts and prayers and that may be enough for them. Each individual will differ on what they are needing.
Bonus tip: There is always a way to be helpful
When someone is in a tough time, we often think that we have to give money to ease the situation. Although gaming is a fun and great way to bring communities together, this is not the only answer. If you have never played a video game before, that is okay. You can always learn, or, you can use some of the tips in this article to give back. Money goes a long way for it providers, patients, and medical staff.
Often times, non monetary donations mean more to the individual receiving treatment than monetary donations do. Value is often placed on the thought that leads to the action. Over 40 million people are expected to have cancer by 2040. That is a large number, but the support is even larger no matter the type of surgery, even if it is orthopedic surgery. There are ways to help.
