In a previous post I mentioned my recent medical journey. I haven been undergoing radiation on my leg for the last six weeks. In the lobby of the treatment facility where I go, there is a bell and a plaque with the following poem inscribed on it:
Survivor's Cheer
Ring this bell
Three times well,
Its toll to clearly say;
My treatment is done!
This course is run!
And I am on my way!
I had never seen anyone actually ring the bell and begun to wonder if anyone actually did. Then one day last week as I came in for my treatment, I heard the bell. I saw the joy and relief on the face of the lady who rung it. Her friends and family, along with the facility staff, were gathered around cheering her on. It was an amazing sight. The nurses later told me they've had people who were treated at other facilities ask to come ring the bell once they completed their treatments. (Of course they let them.)
Today I got to ring that bell. I completed my final radiation treatment. I didn't expect to feel so emotional, after all I have been doing this every day for the last six and a half weeks. I figured this would be just another day. But it wasn't. After ringing that bell, seeing my husband smiling from ear to ear, and hearing the staff cheer, I walked out the doors with a new outlook on life: I am now a survivor.
If you are undergoing treatment for cancer, I encourage you to find out if your treatment center does any type of celebration when your treatment is completed. If not, create your own. Invite family and friends to meet you there. Bring refreshments (I'm sure the staff would appreciate some, too!). Or simply arrange for a celebratory dinner afterward. You've earned it.
If you know someone undergoing treatment for cancer, buy him or her a bell. Attach a copy of the above poem. Offer to celebrate with them...and be prepared to clap, cheer, shout, whistle, and carry on for your loved one. You'll never know how loved it will make them feel.
