Buena Vista fund provides comfort bags for chemotherapy patients

A small bag of hand sanitizer, a toothbrush and ginger candy is waiting for chemotherapy patients the moment they begin treatment at Buena Vista Regional Medical Center. At the BVRMC Oncology & Infusion Center in Storm Lake, the AWARE fund turns local donations into immediate comfort and a little dignity when cancer care can feel most overwhelming.

The center at 1525 West 5th Street provides outpatient hematology and oncology care, infusion treatments, oncology nursing support, nutrition counseling and access to clinical trials through its partnership with the June E. Nylen Cancer Center. Staff members assemble the comfort bags themselves, filling them with practical items such as lotion, lip balm, sunscreen, a travel pillow and a journal, along with basics that patients often need but insurance does not cover.

AWARE, short for Annual Walk And Run Event, also helps pay for hats, wigs, grocery cards, gas cards, chemo shirts, mastectomy products and other essentials that make treatment more manageable. BVRMC says all AWARE donations stay local and go directly toward supporting patients, keeping the impact close to home for families who are already juggling appointments, travel and the day-to-day strain of cancer treatment.

Emily Wright, the oncology and infusion care coordinator, said the bags are meant to reassure patients from day one and help reduce some of the uncertainty and anxiety that come with starting therapy. That first stage of chemotherapy often brings fatigue, nausea, taste changes and increased skin sensitivity on top of the emotional shock of a cancer diagnosis, making small comforts matter more than they might elsewhere.

The need is especially clear in Buena Vista County, where care has to work for a rural population spread across 574.9 square miles. The county had 20,823 residents in the 2020 Census, an estimated 20,816 in mid-2024 and 20,449 on July 1, 2025. About 17.8% of residents are 65 or older, 30.8% are Hispanic or Latino, and 10.6% of residents under 65 lack health insurance.

The comfort-bag effort is part of a longer pattern. BVRMC and the Storm Lake Times Pilot have reported AWARE-funded holiday gifts in 2024 and 2025, and the foundation also financed comfort chairs for the oncology and infusion center in 2024. The annual AWARE 5K walk/run begins and ends at the hospital and follows a stretch of Storm Lake’s lakefront; the 19th annual race is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. For patients starting chemotherapy in Storm Lake, the message is simple: local neighbors have already helped pack something useful, human and immediate for the road ahead.