Looking for gift suggestions for a friend or family member with a Mast Cell disease (your “Mastie”)? Giving and receiving gifts for a Mast Cell patient can be tricky due to everyone’s very individual trigger list. I thought I would try to put together a list of suggestions if you are looking to give a gift to a Mastie. Of course, best practice is to ask your friend or family member what they would like. But if you need some ideas, here you go!

These ideas came from the mast cell disease community and me. Please remember that every person has their own set of triggers, so some of these items may not work for every person. Please ask your Mastie friend before purchasing something if you aren’t absolutely sure it’s safe. Please include a receipt so it can be returned, if needed. Because many of us are so sensitive, we have to use very expensive items to be safe. I know I would appreciate receiving some as a gift.

Gift Suggestions

Soft Fuzzy Blankets! Can someone have too many? I think not. 🙂

Socks–again, can never have too many. Also these socks have zebras! Always a win with a mastie! (It’s a mascot for rare diseases.) Caution: some socks can contain elastic that can irritate some people’s skin.

Soft clothing. Cotton or bamboo can be a great natural option. Skin sensitivity is a big problem. I adore soft clothing!

Benadryl. Children’s clear liquid diphenhydramine is often what people use. I’m lucky in that I don’t have a problem with dyes at this point, so regular benadryl/diphenhydramine (in bulk!) works great for me.

Pill Organizers. Keeping track of medication is difficult. Especially when you take 20 pills a day. So having a large pill organizer helps immensely. And it’s nice to only sort pills for two weeks since I only take pills twice a day. If you take pills 4 times a day, this large pill organizer could be really useful. I also use a smaller week pill organizer to keep rescue meds easily accessible. And it’s convenient for traveling too!

Cold Storage Pack. Epi-pens and other medications used by Masties often need to be kept in cool storage, especially when living or traveling in warmer climates. 

Medicine/First Aid Bag. I love my first aid bag that I keep in my backpack-purse. It holds my EpiPens (I don’t live in a hot climate, so I’m not worried about temperature exposure), Benadryl and other rescue meds that I like to have on hand. My backpack-purse and the medicine/first aid bag each also have one of these “Medicine Inside” zipper pulls. 

Tissues. I’m personally partial to Puffs plus lotion. I have a lot of congestion and these are heaven-sent. 🙂 Not everyone will be able to tolerate this kind, so please check with your Mastie what their preference is.

Audiobook gift cards or subscriptions like Audible. Or help them get set up with their local library’s Libby/Overdrive system to get audiobooks for free.

Reusable Water Bottles or Mugs. Ask if metal or plastic would be better. Some Masties do better with one or the other. 

A Go-bag. A small bag or backpack to have on hand pre-packed with hospital essentials to make it easier to have everything a patient needs at the hospital. Maybe include some of the other things on this list?

Extra long phone chargers. You might need to check the kind of phone they have so you can get the right kind of plug. Most newer phones use the USB-C port now. These are practically a necessity when stuck in the hospital!

Magazine Subscription. Do they have a hobby that has a magazine? 

Air Purifier & Filters. I have this one at work and I like it. I want this one for home. If your local Mastie has an air purifier, consider purchasing replacement filters for them.

Magic Masto Lotion. Safe lotion (I use CeraVe–but check with your Mastie for their favorite) GET UNSCENTED! Cromolyn Sodium (available over the counter as an eye drop). Recipe found here.

Hot packs or Cold packs (or these that double as both). Many of us have difficulties regulating our body temperatures (super fun!) so having something to help externally is a blessing!

Over the Counter Medications. (USE CAUTION) I use a lot of over the counter medications. And at the higher than normal doses I take them, they get expensive. Consider a gift card to your friend’s favorite pharmacy (trust me, they have one 🙂 ) or buying a few bottles. If you want to buy the specific bottles, this may be difficult. Many patients require very specific formulations (no dyes, specific fillers, specific brands). Please be sure you can buy the exact kind they use (no substitutions) and include a receipt so they can return it if it doesn’t work out.

Bathroom Items:

• Cleure gift card (many, including me, have to use specific soaps and shampoos. Cleure is one of the two places I have found safe ones for me.) Your Mastie may have a different place to get their specific toiletry items.
• Shower chair This is the one I use and like.
• Adjustable shower head
• A little step stool for the foot of the toilet (it helps with constipation)
• Safe soaps (I use Seventh Generation dish soap as my dish and hand soap). Be very careful.

Calendars or planners. Keeping track of medications, symptoms, and doctors’ appointments is tricky. It’s helpful to have someplace to put it all.

Funny gifts to make them smile. The smiles are needed for the hard days.

Lap activities: books or coloring books (I love this coloring book) with easy-grip pencils.

Amazon Prime. Because of my scent sensitivity, it’s hard for me to shop in public. Amazon Prime is ahhhmazing. Free shipping, usually two days, but sometimes same-day or next-day shipping is available! And it includes TV, movies, and music, and a lot of other things. 

Streaming Subscriptions (Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus) Chronically ill people spend a lot of time recovering. This often means a lot of time in front of the TV. Consider helping them by giving them some variety, or letting them catch up on shows from their childhood (hello Disney Plus! hahaha)

Apple or Google Play Gift cards. We like to keep ourselves entertained while we’re not feeling well.

Maintenance Services. Yard, cleaning, laundry services would be amazing. These activities often trigger reactions for so they are difficult to do. It would be great to have someone help out.

Time with You at their place on their terms, no questions asked. How about a night in with a movie, safe snacks, or a favorite board/card game? With no pressure to talk, or to talk all they want. And if your Mastie friend is isolating themselves due to a reaction, it’s okay. How about a video chat?

Ask your friend to start a wishlist on Amazon or Pinterest so you can know exactly what to get them. Let’s make life easier for everyone! 🙂

WHAT NOT TO GET

Anything scented

• No candles, essential oils, diffusers
• Lotions
• Soaps
• Perfume
• Bath bombs

Plants–unless you know they are okay. Personally I’m okay (and slightly obsessed) with them. hahaha

Food. Many people have a long list of ingredients they cannot or should not eat. To make things easier for us, please don’t drop off goodies. While the thought is nice, I’ll end up tossing it out. For some people, exposure to an ingredient is enough to trigger anaphylaxis. Let’s not make this a scary holiday. 

From personal experience, if I don’t know the person very well or they haven’t talked to me prior about what to cook for me, I won’t eat the treats. The list of people that I let cook for me is very, very short. 98% of the time I decline treats, even when “guaranteed” they are safe. I can usually guarantee they are probably not safe treats. Most people cannot handle the depth of ingredient checking I have to do. And that’s okay. I don’t expect them to. 

Let’s make this easier for everyone: Don’t bring treats!

Here are some suggestions of what to give instead:

• Whole Foods gift card (or other local health food store)
• Trader Joe’s gift card
• Sprouts gift card
• Packaged treats your friend has specifically identified as safe for them to eat (they may not have any). If they give you one, please buy the exact brand and kind they identify. Many are similar, but those differences can cause huge problems. Even differences between sizes in the same flavor can sometimes have different ingredients (yeah, I don’t understand that either).

Want to Help Support a Mast Cell Patient? 

Consider supporting their side hustle this holiday season. Many of us have little side hustles to help us pay our medical bills (always so.many.bills). 

• Hospital Princess — adorable Knit Beanies
• Beads by Kristina — Custom Bracelets
• MelissaDawnArts — Cat, Dog & Coffee Art
• Crafty Bee Designs — Printables
• Wise Mom Baby Boutique (Canada)
• Lucky Stars Studio (purchasing through some of the links above helps support my little website here, so thanks!)

Donations to Charities that Support Patients:

The Mastocytosis Foundation and Super T’s Mast Cell Foundation are two I personally support. 

Did you know you can also use smile.amazon.com to support a charity at no cost to you? By purchasing through smile.amazon.com and selecting a charity (both the above are options, plus many others), you can have Amazon donate a small portion of your purchase price to the charity. And it costs you nothing! Winning!

Hope these gift suggestions helps you! 

Did I miss something? Do you want your etsy shop/small business listed in this article? Send me an email with your website info at luckystarsstudio517 at gmail dot com.

xoxo