Journal entry by Maggie Bunting —
After 444 days of treatment, Jon took his last chemo pill and is officially DONE with treatment! We have so much to celebrate and we’re so glad we were able to host some of our family and friends for a ‘No Mo Chemo’, donuts and coffee celebration this morning where Jon was able to ring the bell to mark the end of treatment.
Bell ringing has become popular in the cancer community as a way for cancer patients to mark the end of a treatment.
It is believed to have begun in 1996 when a rear admiral in the US Navy was undergoing radiation therapy for head and neck cancer. He told his doctor that he planned to follow a Navy tradition of ringing a bell to signify “when the job was done.” He brought a brass bell to his last treatment, rang it several times and left it as a donation.
Nowadays nearly every cancer facility has a bell that patients can ring to mark the end of treatment. And since Jon has been able to finish out his treatment at home, today we brought the bell to him.
We hope and pray that his cancer can stay at bay for a long, long time. And no matter the future, we must celebrate these huge victories. Jon fought HARD for 444 days and he kicked cancer’s butt! Today we celebrate and look forward to gaining a little bit of normalcy back in our lives.
Thank you to everyone who has been on this journey with us. You gave us courage and strength and helped us get through 444 days 🤍
#BuntingStrong
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