Treatment Three

 TREATMENT THREE  -  November 4th 2021

On entering the Laurel Suite today, I notice a new addition, a bell!

I love this idea of sounding this bell upon completion of treatment. This bell is being installed in all cancer treatment wards by a charity ‘End of Treatment Bells’.

I t is an amazing moment when a patient can ring this bell and reflect on what has been both an emotional and physical journey and the bell has been especially significant  to children with cancer.

These bells are often used in sales offices to bring positivity to sales teams and encourage them to just ‘keep going’, even when times seem hard.

 

I look forward to ringing this bell at the end of my own treatment and remind myself today of the similarities of running training, not how far I have to go, but rather how far I have come! I am now potentially half way through (sounds good when I think of it in this way!)

I love the rainbow on this bell picture (there are a few rainbow pictures on the wall on the ward which have been created by ex-patients in praise of the NHS).

 

I love the song ‘Over the rainbow’ by Eva Cassidy

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=eva+cassidy+over+the+rainbow

What is the significance of a rainbow?

Q.   How did the rainbow get it’s name?

       From its shape. A rainbow’s arc look similar to a bow for shooting arrows

 

Q. What is the original meaning of rainbows?

 In the Bible’s flood narrative, God places a rainbow in the sky as a promise to never flood the earth again.      

 

Q. . How is a rainbow formed?

       Similar to a mirage, a rainbow is formed when light rays bend, creating an effect that is visible but     not able to be touched or approached.

 

Q. what does a rainbow represent ?

    The dictionary calls it ‘a symbol of hope’.

      Often appear after a thunderstorm or when everything is seemingly at its darkest to then spread light and ultimately, HOPE!

 

I love this!

HOPE AFTER THE STORM!

Obviously, there are many more interesting facts about the lovely rainbow, but after reading HOPE, I decided to finish here..

 

 

Going back to our hospital bell, there is ALWAYS hope in every situation and storms do not last!

As a Christian, my hope is in God and all His promises to me, my favourite being

“I will be with you till the end of the age” (the very last thing Jesus said before He left the earth)  

Wow! What a promise to hold on to, that He is never going to leave me!

I am sat here feeling positive today as the sun is shining through the window above me, and a nice positive chat with a new nurse really encourages me (the staff here are really amazing people!)

After a few hours, my third treatment is done and as I continue to write, a great sound can be heard – it’s the bell!!  One patient is ringing it, followed by applause and cheers from all of us sat in the ward, as she finishes her treatment for the final time  and experiences HOPE for her future!

 

What an encouraging day!