Iowa Cancer Survivors Ring Victory Bell at Swan Lake Event

Fifty-six cancer survivors gathered at Swan Lake Conservation Education Center in Carroll, Iowa, for something many had never experienced: the chance to ring a bell marking their victory over cancer.

The 3rd Annual National Cancer Survivorship Day Celebration looked completely different this year. After two years of drive-through events during the pandemic, organizers expanded the celebration into a full-day gathering on June 8 that drew 116 total participants, including survivors and caregivers.

Jessica Schellhorn, an oncology nurse navigator at St. Anthony Regional Hospital, started the celebration two years ago. She brought in Epic Experience, a Colorado-based nonprofit focused on life beyond cancer, to help create an atmosphere of connection and healing.

The day included a powerful symbolic activity at the waterfront. Participants received two rocks during a lakeside walk. On one rock, they wrote an ongoing challenge from their cancer battle. On the other, they wrote something they felt grateful for in their life.

Everyone threw their "challenge" rock into the water, watching their worries sink to the bottom of Swan Lake. The gratitude rock became a keeper, a tangible reminder of what remains good.

The standout moment came during the bell-ringing ceremony. Cancer treatment centers often have bells that patients ring to mark the end of successful treatment, symbolizing their transition back to normal life.

Some survivors at the celebration had never rung a bell or couldn't remember doing it after treatment. One by one, they got their moment with the "Bell of Victory," walking down a line of cheering volunteers and hospital staff after each ring.

Sunny's Take

The message that resonated most came from Denny, a worker with Epic Experience: "Replacing the 'I' in illness with 'we' makes wellness." That philosophy shaped the entire event, from the waterfront opening ceremony to the trail hike, dinner catered by Napoli's Italian Restaurant, campfire stories, and s'mores.

The expansion from a quick drive-through to a full-day celebration reflects something important. Survivorship isn't just about finishing treatment. It's about community, shared experiences, and having people understand what you've been through without needing to explain.

For those who never got their bell-ringing moment during treatment, this celebration offered something precious: the chance to mark their victory surrounded by people who truly understand what that victory means.