Bell rings for end of chemo

Child cancer survivors in Basingstoke can ring in a new chapter of their lives after completing treatment.

Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital installed the bell on the children’s ward giving young patients at the end of their chemotherapy plans the chance to celebrate.

Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust worked with organisation End of Treatment Bells to fit the special bell.

When patients ring the bell with the help of their families and staff who cared for them, they recite the poem: “Ring this bell three times well, / Its toll to clearly say, / My treatment’s done, / This course is run, / And I’m on my way.”

Tyler, six, was the first patient to ring the newly-installed bell at Basingstoke Hospital after nearly three and a half years of treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Tyler was diagnosed at Basingstoke Hospital in February 2015 and has undergone often daily chemotherapy.

Mum Carrie said: “It’s been a really long journey, and it hasn’t quite sunk in that Tyler has finished his treatment, but we’re really happy to hear that bell ring.

“He’s such a strong little boy and I am so proud of him.

“I am really looking forward to watching him experience life in the same way his friends do, being able to play and enjoy being a normal six year old.

“The staff have all been amazing, I can’t thank them enough for the support they have given us.”

Alex Whitfield, chief executive at the Trust thanked those who sponsor the bells and said: “It is great that our younger cancer patients can now celebrate and mark the end of their treatment plans in this way.

“Our staff are there to help patients and their families every step of the way, and the bell is a wonderful way to share in some of the good moments together.”