Author: Lindsey Ulrich
"It's empowering; It's uplifting."
For those battling cancer, ringing the bell signifies a great accomplishment: the end of their treatment. For Roxanne Pathfinder, she was able to ring the bell for the second time in her cancer journey, but it was the first bell to ring at the all-new Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Greater Lansing’s Health Care Campus, recently opened on February 28.
Pathfinder’s cancer journey started last September. She was able to ring the bell before, but later found out that her cancer had grown.
“My last scan showed that the cancer had grown to other parts of my body, so I am back for the another round of treatments,” said Pathfinder.
When Pathfinder started her treatment, she knew that the bell itself needed an upgrade, so she got plaques made to celebrate the new bell in the new facility.
The plaques include a poem by Irve Le Moyne, a rear admiral for the U.S. Navy who was diagnosed with cancer and is thought to be the first to start the tradition, and another poem called “Ring the Bell.”
The brand-new Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Greater Lansing brings innovative treatment options for cancer patients closer to home, including the addition of the Varian TrueBeam™ linear accelerator, along with comfort features from private and semi-private infusion rooms and multidisciplinary clinics.
“This new facility is gorgeous,” said Pathfinder. “I was able to have a private room with my own TV, and staff have all been wonderful bringing me a warm blanket and drinks when needed.”
Pathfinder said she’s not at the end of her cancer journey yet but she’s going to get there, and the ringing of the bell gives her strength. “It’s empowering and uplifting.”
To learn more about the all-new Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Greater Lansing, go here.
To learn more about McLaren Greater Lansing’s new health care campus, now open,