It’s not every day you come across people with genuine and generous hearts who dedicate their time to help others who are suffering on a regular basis. I first learned about the Cancer Care Baskets initiative around 2021 from Eugenia Chu (author of the Brandon book series) and found out that this was something she does every month with her son. I was so moved and inspired by their dedication and generous giving hearts. I’ve often wondered about how this whole project began and the ins and outs of preparing these baskets each month, so I was very excited when Brandon agreed to do this interview in honor of World Cancer Day. It is my pleasure and honor to be able to share this interview and their incredible story with you all!
Interview with Brandon Heller
YY: Hi Brandon! Thank you for doing this interview. Can you briefly introduce yourself and share some interesting things we may not know about you? What are your interests or goals?
BH: Hi! I’m Brandon. I’m a 16 year old student from Miami, Florida. I started this initiative with my mom back in 2018 when I was still in elementary school. I’m passionate about data science and sports. My goal with this project is to reach even more patients and deliver baskets more often to help them feel more comfortable during a difficult time. One interesting thing about me is that I am also the inspiration for my mom’s children’s books, like Brandon Makes Jiao Zi!
YY: Wow! What an amazing goal you have set! I really hope you achieve it and bless more patients! Can you explain to us what the Cancer Care Baskets actually are and what inspired or motivated you to start making them? When did it all begin and how long have you been doing them?
BH: Cancer Care Baskets are collections of items designed to help breast cancer patients feel more comfortable during treatment. We started this project in my great grandmother’s (who suffered from breast cancer and passed away before I ever met her) memory and in honor of all the great women we know who have endured this disease and the treatment. Since we started in 2018, the cause has become even more personal, as my grandma faced breast cancer in 2024, and my mom was diagnosed just last year in 2025. I’ve been doing this for about 8 years now.
YY: I’m so sorry that you have had to witness your loved ones go through breast cancer. I truly admire your dedication to keep doing this for 8 years, and I’m sure many lives have been touched by your generosity. Can you share about the first time you delivered the baskets? What was that experience like and how did you feel? What were the reactions or feedback from the patients?
BH: The first time we delivered the baskets was back in 2018 at the Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center. I remember meeting Gail Brown, our liaison there, who was so supportive. It felt great to see the project finally come to life. The patients are always surprised, touched, and thrilled by the generosity that random strangers can have.
YY: That must have been a great source of motivation for you to continue then – seeing how much the patients are touched by these baskets. It’s really not common to receive gifts from random strangers. Have you encountered any difficulties or challenges in continuing this project? What were some of the obstacles and how did you overcome them?
BH: One of the ongoing challenges is funding and resources, as we want to help as many people as possible. We’re working to overcome this by being creative with fundraising, like selling “Dash Supports Breast Cancer Awareness” T-shirts and merchandise. We also use a data-driven approach, using questionnaires and research to make sure the items we include are actually what patients need most, so nothing goes to waste. (Here’s the link to the questionnaire. Responses will be analyzed to understand what products and resources are most helpful to patients. Every response helps to improve support for current and future patients!)
YY: That’s great you are learning to be creative with fundraising. The patients must really appreciate that they can share their needs with you as well so you can meet them. I love that you are making good use of your skills in data science to do this too! Can you walk us through the process of preparing the Cancer Care Baskets? How many do you make each time, what do you include in them and how long does it typically take?
BH: We make 10 baskets each time. Once we have all the items, it doesn’t take much time to put them together. Our goal is to deliver every month, but it really depends on how many donations we receive. The items in each round of baskets may differ slightly due to resources (sometimes certain products are unavailable and sometimes we have collaborators who donate special items for the baskets) but they usually include:
aluminium-free deodorant
alcohol-free mouth rinse that soothes mouth sores (EWG certified)
fluoride-free toothpaste (EWG certified)
silky scarf
comfy socks
water bottle (BPA free)
playing cards
tissues
crossword or word-find puzzles
pen
wet wipes
gum
notebook or calendar/appointment book
stress ball
A discount on The Original Grace Relief Breast Cancer Pillow
And our new Radiation Bundles include:
Dove soap
Aloe vera gel
Aveeno cream
Aquaphor
We also adjust the contents based on questionnaires we send out to see which products are useful, which are not, and which products patients wish were in the baskets.
YY: Wow! That’s a very wide range of items, and I can see that you include things that care not only for their physical needs but also for their emotional well-being. I really like the inclusion of the stress ball, playing cards and puzzles. These will really help patients get through those waiting periods and help them to relax and have some fun too! It must be challenging to gather all these items every month. Do you get any sponsors or donors who can provide these resources and items?
BH: We have been lucky enough to have/had sponsors who provided resources and items. Carol Nguyen of Carol’s Nail Tribe & Co has donated, and continues to donate, beautiful Color Street dry nail polish strips, as well as nail files and cuticle sticks. We have also been given uplifting and beautifully written breast cancer-related books by authors Charissa Bates and Marquita Goodluck. In the past we have also received special items like pashminas, comfy socks, purses, hand sanitizers, masks, and face creams. All these amazing donations can be seen on our webpage. We are always looking for product sponsors and are currently waiting to hear back from a few.
YY: That’s wonderful that there are so many generous donors willing to donate items. I hope you get more sponsors to agree and continue to donate. You have been doing the Cancer Care Baskets for 8 years now. How has the project changed or evolved over time? How would you like to see this project continue and improve? Are there any new initiatives you are interested in trying?
BH: The actual “baskets” themselves have changed over time. We started out with baskets and now we use backpacks to hold all the items. The backpacks are easier to carry and much more functional and reusable. The contents have also changed based on feedback from Gail Brown, our Mt Sinai liaison, who is a caseworker at Mt Sinai and works directly with the patients. In addition, I have created a questionnaire to be sent to breast cancer patients about the products so that we can find out what patients most want. I am currently taking a data science class at school and will be taking machine learning and AI courses over the summer and next year. I plan to apply what I learn to improve the baskets to maximize their impact. Based on our research so far, we have adjusted some of the basket contents and recently created the new Radiation Bundles described above. We are always learning and improving. As for new initiatives, I have started a note-writing campaign to include uplifting and encouraging notes to give to the patients to let them know they are not alone and that there are people thinking of them and rooting for them. I have already collected several notes, including many very touching notes from breast cancer survivors.
YY: This is so amazing to hear! You have grown up doing the Cancer Care Baskets and continue to learn new ways to keep making them better and improve them for other patients. I can see your passion shine through doing this. The new initiative sounds wonderful and I’m sure patients feel so happy and encouraged to receive these notes! I will be sure to write one too! If people are interested in helping out or donating to the Cancer Care Baskets, what can we do? What do you need the most?
DONATE! We need funds to be able to purchase the basket items. Donate by Venmo to Eugenia-Chu or PayPal to chueugenia@yahoo.com.
Purchase “Dash Supports Breast Cancer Awareness” T-shirts and other merchandise (all proceeds go to fund the baskets, with any remaining going to cancer research): http://tee.pub/lic/tGsltTQ-VpI.
Join my note-writing campaign: simply write an encouraging note to a breast cancer patient and email it to me at cancercarebaskets@gmail.com. I will print them out and include them in the baskets.
Donate products to our baskets. Email me at cancercarebaskets@gmail.com.
Share this project through social media (we are https://www.instagram.com/cancercarebaskets/) or any way you feel comfortable.
YY: Thank you so much for sharing! I am sure there is something we can all do to help from this list! And finally, if people are interested in starting a similar project to Cancer Care Baskets on their own, what helpful tips, recommendations or words of encouragement would you give them?
BH: Contact me and I will gladly share what we do, where we get our products, and the results of our research. Even though this is a small thing, we believe it really helps the patients, not only physically but also emotionally. Breast cancer is already hard enough. No one should have to face it feeling alone. We create care baskets for breast cancer patients to bring comfort, support, and a reminder that people care. It feels good to help others.
YY: Thank you so much for your time in sharing all about this incredible initiative, Brandon! The Cancer Care Baskets have blessed the lives of so many patients over the years and I am sure they will continue to bless more lives and even inspire others to help those who are suffering in our community in their own ways. I wish you all the best in your future studies and endeavours, and continue to make these wonderful baskets the best they can be for breast cancer patients.
Please consider supporting this meaningful intiative! Check out the links or scan the QR codes below to learn more, make donations or purchase a T-shirt to support, if you are able. Feel free to also share this post to your friends and family, or anyone who may be interested in supporting. Help us spread the word so this mother-son duo can continue to make Cancer Care Baskets for breast cancer patients every month. Thank you so much!
Follow https://www.instagram.com/cancercarebaskets/ to learn about this project and what Brandon and Mom are doing to help patients.
That’s amazing that he started this when he was a child and is working towards making it an even bigger project. You can tell how dedicated he is. Cancer is hard and frightening, but I know that random kindness can mean a lot, so I imagine that these patients truly appreciate what they get. It’s really sweet. I appreciate you sharing this interview!
Thank you for this wonderful interview!