Journey Bags brings comfort and hope to cancer patients – including the healthcare professional who cared for them

After nearly 30 years of helping patients navigate some of the most challenging moments of their lives, Heidi Hordyk, Director of Radiology, found herself facing a cancer diagnosis of her own. The healthcare professional who had spent decades caring for others suddenly became the patient and discovered firsthand the difference a Journey Bag can make.

Heidi’s experience began with a routine annual mammogram that revealed a small cluster of calcifications not present the previous year. Further testing led to a diagnosis of triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease. She underwent a bilateral mastectomy and chemotherapy, beginning a journey that brought new challenges despite her extensive healthcare experience.

“I knew what to expect. Imaging? I knew it. Biopsies? I knew it. Surgery? I understood it,” Hordyk shared in her personal account. “Chemotherapy? That was completely outside my comfort zone.”

Heidi was already familiar with Journey Bags and had participated in the organization’s Be the Light Walk the year before her diagnosis. But when she arrived for her first chemotherapy appointment on February 3, receiving a Journey Bag gave the mission an entirely new meaning.

“As I looked through it, I felt something I hadn’t felt in weeks: Relief,” she said. “Suddenly, I wasn’t alone.”

The items inside the bag became practical sources of comfort throughout treatment. A blanket helped during infusions, peppermints offered relief from changes in taste, and a coloring book helped pass the long hours. A small fan became especially valuable when treatment brought unexpected hot flashes.

But Hordyk says the bag’s greatest significance extended far beyond its contents.

“The bag itself became my security blanket,” she said. “It represented comfort. It represented support. It represented hope.”

She carried her Journey Bag to appointments, scans and trips to the cancer center. Even after completing chemotherapy in April, she found it difficult to unpack the bag that had accompanied her through so much uncertainty.

Following a second test showing no evidence of cancer cells, Heidi finally moved the bag upstairs, a small but meaningful step forward in her journey.

Her experience reflects the mission of Journey Bags, an organization dedicated to providing cancer patients with practical resources, encouragement and compassionate support as they begin treatment. Each bag is thoughtfully assembled to help patients navigate the physical and emotional challenges that can accompany a cancer diagnosis.

For Heidi, the experience transformed her understanding of the organization she had supported before becoming a patient herself.

“Journey Bags are so much more than bags,” she said. “They are comfort during uncertainty. They are practical help when you’re overwhelmed. They are reminders that someone cares.”

Heidi’s story also underscores an important truth: even those who dedicate their careers to caring for others can find themselves overwhelmed when a diagnosis becomes personal. Support, information and small acts of kindness can make a meaningful difference during an unfamiliar and frightening time.

“Last year, I supported this cause because I thought it was important,” Heidi said. “This year, I support it because I know firsthand how much it matters.”

Journey Bags relies on the generosity of donors, volunteers, sponsors and community partners to continue providing bags to cancer patients. Every contribution helps deliver more than useful items; it offers a reminder that patients do not have to face their journey alone.

“You may never fully know the impact your generosity has on someone facing cancer,” Hordyk said. “But I can tell you this: It made a difference for me. And for that, I will always be grateful.”

To learn more about Journey Bags, support the mission or help provide a Journey Bag to a cancer patient, visit journeybags.org.