A bell-ringing tradition becomes concert fare for cancer survivors

In many cancer treatment centers, when a patient finishes their radiation regimen, they ring a bell to symbolize their progress. It’s become a sign of life and success.

AdventHealth is using the sound of bells to help survivors express the joy of beating their disease and to inspire people still struggling with cancer who hope to ring the bell someday. Agency 22Squared brought together survivors and caregivers to form The Survivor Bell Choir. Using hand bells, most familiar to the public as the instruments used to play “Carol of the Bells,” they ring out a specially-written version of “Silent Night.”

“When I ring those bells, I do get a connection to the bell that I rang at the hospital," says a young boy who has survived two bouts of Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

A two-and-a-half minute long-form film tells the stories of some of the choir members. Directed by Escape Velocity Content Director Bryan Rowland, the film also shows their reactions to seeing their own stories displayed on the big screen.