Emily King was 27 years old when she was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer, which has progressed to Stage 4. After undergoing 35 rounds of chemotherapy, she decided to create a charity, called Fighting with Hope, which sends care packages to cancer patients enduring chemo.

“I have mints for nausea, gum for nausea,” she told CBS News, adding that Starbursts are also effective at washing out the taste of chemotherapy. 

“Sponsor me, Starburst?” she quipped. 

She has about 30 fixes in every box, including blankets because “hospitals are freezing.” She’s shipped more than 100 boxes to chemo patients like Carrie Spisak in Houston, Texas, who is also fighting colon cancer. 

“Just to know that somebody is thinking about you and kinda knows what you’re going through” is helpful, Spisak told CBS News. 

About 20 packages are sent each month, each opening a sense of community. 

“There are a lot of dark times during cancer,” King said. 

Mark Strassmann

Mark Strassmann has been a CBS News correspondent since January 2001 and is based in the Atlanta bureau.