Woman So Overcome with Joy that She Breaks 'Cancer-Free Bell' by Ringing It Too Hard
A Texas woman who just finished her cancer treatment has gone viral for her exuberant celebration that was so heartfelt, she accidentally broke the cancer-free bell.
Darla Jaye, a cancer patient at Harris Health Systems in Houston, Texas, remembers the February day she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
It was a frightening and uncertain situation that Jaye was not sure she had the strength to get through.
“When you hear the words, ‘You have cancer,’ the first thing you think of is, ‘Am I going to die?’ The second thing you think of is, ‘What am I going to go through?’” Jaye said, according to KTBC.
“I remember going to my first radiation treatment and I was so scared that I was laying on the table before I had the first radiation, and tears were rolling down my face and I thought, ‘How am I ever going to get through this?’”
But Jaye did get through it, and on July 15, she stepped up for her turn to ring the brass bell attached to a hospital wall, signifying the end of her radiation treatment.
Congratulations to @DarlaJaye1 She completed her last round of radiation treatment for breast cancer. She was so excited, she broke the bell!
“I’ve looked forward to this day since February. I was scared to death, but you guys saved my life!” pic.twitter.com/4DnQmNGW9P— Harris Health System (@harrishealth) July 15, 2019
“I looked forward to this day since February,” Jaye said.
With a wide grin on her face, Jaye rang that bell with so much enthusiasm that she ripped the clapper right out of the bell. A look of humored shock crossed her face as the clapper flung to the floor.
“I couldn’t even fathom being done, I was so overwhelmed yesterday,” she told CNN. “Guess I didn’t know how strong I was!”
For those of you wondering…our bell is fixed and ready for the next patient! pic.twitter.com/FbN7oMMtKk
— Harris Health System (@harrishealth) July 17, 2019
The hospital staff found it just as humorous, proud of its patient for celebrating with all her might.
“I never imagined that I would make it through those 30 treatments and be able to ring that bell, so yesterday, when I rang that bell, I was celebrating that I was alive and that I was essentially done for now,” Jaye said.
Jaye is thankful for the doctors and staff at Harris Health System for saving her life and commented on Twitter that she hopes other cancer patients will be able to celebrate in a similar manner.
“My hope is that every cancer patient gets the chance to #BreakTheBell,” Jaye wrote.
Liftable, a section of The Western Journal, reached out to Darla Jaye for comment but has not yet received a response. We will update this article if and when we do.
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