Ringing in the Sisterhood

It’s not the holiday season, but bells will be ringing and there will many reasons to celebrate…Two new, beautiful bells were recently installed at the new Breast & GYN Pavilion on the Woman’s Hospital campus. The Cancer Center introduced the “ringing of the bell” in 2015, which marks a significant moment. It signals the end of active treatment and the beginning of the next phase of a patient’s journey. It also encourages those still undergoing treatment to continue fighting. This past Sunday at an open house event, we were excited to expand this tradition to the Breast and GYN Pavilion. This special place is the result of a partnership between Woman’s Hospital and Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center. Anticipation filled the room as Tonja McMillan, breast cancer survivor, and Rahshada Jenkins, a gynecologic cancer survivor, gathered onstage to ring bells with their friends and family members looking on. After each woman rang the bell, the gathered crowd clapped and cheered for their victories. Event attendees were also asked to help name the bells by submitting suggestions. The submissions are going through a selections process and the final name for each bell will be announced on social media. We look forward to hearing these bells chimes many times in the future at the Breast and GYN Cancer Pavilion. For more information, visit breastandgyncancer.org.