Dawn Compton of Bellville was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2018. She now leads The Blessing Box Project, which sends free care boxes to women facing the disease. Compton said the project started with a pillow and drain shirts she made before her mastectomy and took to doctors' offices.
Each box includes a mastectomy pillow and a drain shirt with pockets for drains. Other items are donated or bought from an Amazon wish list. Compton said children also paint rocks that are placed in the boxes. Since 2019, Compton said, the project has sent more than 21,000 boxes.
Compton asked recipients to send back postage if they can. The project pays it if they cannot. Compton said the project cannot cure cancer but aims to ease the fear of it. People can request a box or volunteer at BlessingBoxProject.com.