We have now distributed over 70 bells and have some more orders being
processed. As a UK registered charity we can send bells out to anywhere in the United Kingdom free of charge. However we appreciate that some patients and their families are keen to sponsor one of our bells as a way of showing their appreciation for the treatment that they have
received and we welcome this with open arms. We are totally non-profit
and rely on the kindness and goodwill of our supporters in funding more
bells. X

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

This is why we do what we do!

As many of you know, Emma was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare soft tissue cancer, in September 2013. Aggressive chemotherapy started straight away and ended in April 2014. Following a 9 hour operation to remove remaining tumour tissue, we all flew out to Oklahoma for 8 weeks so that Emma could start Proton Beam Therapy.

Everyone who receives Proton Therapy at ProCure gets to ring the End of Treatment bell straight after their last treatment and like everyone else, we couldn't wait for Emma to get up there and ring it!

It's not just a bell - it's a symbol of hope; of feeling like you are winning the battle and every single person who rang that bell felt exactly the same way. We all stopped whatever we were doing and crowded the lobby so we could support the latest warrior!

When we returned to the UK, we couldn't believe that such a simple idea had never been placed into any of the hospitals here for our children. We approached Helen, the ward 84 manager at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital and asked if we could provide one for the ward. She agreed it was a brilliant idea and so we had one designed and made by our friend Joe Faulkner who owns Sign and Display Limited.

The bell was ready in time for Emma to be its first ringer, this happened on the 9th April 2014. We were overjoyed and very emotional.

Since then, the bell has been rung by numerous children and now has it's own facebook page!

https://www.facebook.com/Endoftreatmentbells

People post their photographs and videos here and it really is wonderful to see these families celebrate the end of a very long and emotional journey.  The bell is not just great for the families, it's great for the staff as well. Every time a child rings the bell, it means that their hard work and dedication are paying off too. More and more children survive cancer these days and this simple symbol of hope is both moving and morale boosting for the heroic doctors and nurses who treat them.

I first met Diane Watt at a charity event and had no idea where this chance meeting was to  lead us both. Diane, along with her friends John and Sarah Drummond,  runs Be Child Cancer Aware and has placed the Beads of Courage program into over 70 hospitals so far. She is amazing. I showed her a video of Emma ringing the bell at Manchester and she agreed that this was a simple, and yet brilliant idea and so began this story...

Through the Maria Watt Foundation, another charity which is run by Diane, we aim to offer an End of Treatment Bell to every hospital where children are receiving ongoing treatment. It doesn't necessarily have to be a cancer ward, although that is where we will start. We will also provide them with certificates for the children to take home.

Each bell costs approximately £145 to make and every penny we receive in donations is spent on funding more bells. To be clear, we are part of a registered charity and can supply bells free of charge within the UK. We understand that you may wish to donate to us for a bell for your hospital and we are more than happy to do that. Your donations help us to place more bells.

I will be looking at various ways to fundraise, any ideas are very welcome along with any offers of help! :-D

You can also text your donation to 70070 using the code EOTB48 (space) followed by an amount including the pound sign (£1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10)

If you are interested in a bell for your hospital, please message us through our facebook page.

 Thank you so much for taking the time to read this x

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