In 1733, the English poet Alexander Pope penned the famous line, “Hope springs eternal in the human breast,” in "An Essay on Man, Epistle I." Over three and a half centuries later, Pope’s words still resonate with profound meaning. No matter the circumstances, humankind continues to have the capacity to hope for the best – to believe that, despite how bad things are, there is still the potential for them to get better.
Receiving a diagnosis of cancer is one of the most difficult experiences anyone can face. Yet cancer patients, caregivers, clinicians, and scientists all around the world continue to fight every day in the war against cancer. Together they fight to keep hope alive and ensure there is always the potential for “things to get better.”
Last month, Bonita Ball, MSN, RN, the nurse manager of the inpatient oncology unit at Pennsylvania Hospital (PAH), was making her usual daily rounds. That’s when she met 37-year-old Quintine Burgess, who was finishing her last day of treatment after six longs months of chemotherapy. Burgess smiled widely as she said the following words to Ball: “I’m finally finished.” Burgess then proceeded to tell Ball of her journey since she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. “She demonstrated a strong sense of faith and hope – a story of a single mother who had so many obstacles to overcome while going through her treatment,” said Ball.
Quintine Burgess, center, is shown here in front of the Hope Bell with the inpatient oncology unit staff of PAH.
During their conversation, Burgess admitted to Ball, “I made it to this day and I just wish I could ring the bell.” Then she sadly remarked, “I was told you don’t have a bell for me to ring.”
That was all Ball needed to hear.
She immediately called a staff huddle and together they immediately got to work to give Burgess the closure and hope she needed. Determined, Ball and staff started making inquires and investigated until, surprisingly, they actually located a dinner bell in the hospital.
Bearing bright balloons, the bell, and a festively decorated cake, the staff gathered in Burgess’ room on her last day of treatment as she was preparing to go home with her teenage daughter. Together the staff read aloud a poem Ball wrote especially for Burgess.
“The rest is hard to place in words,” said Ball. “Just recalling that day fills my eye with tears of joy, hope, and the feeling of gratitude for life. The tears that were shed in that room by everyone, along with the big hugs of thanks, will never be forgotten. In all my years of nursing, I have to stay this is one of my highest moments that I will never, ever forget. It realized then that nursing is a calling and not just a profession”.
Ball also learned something else important that day: that what some may consider a “little thing” can be a really “big thing” to a patient. “As a nurse it reminds me of when I first learned CPR. We were taught to ‘look, listen and feel’ when assessing a patient for responsiveness,” said Ball. “Quintine taught me something I will always cherish. She was saying, ‘Look at me, I’m more than just a cancer patient. Listen to what I’m saying to know what is really important to me and feel what I am experiencing.’”
Ball took the lesson to heart. She and her staff wanted to be able to give all their patients the chance to ring a bell and celebrate the major milestone of completing their therapy in their individual fight against cancer.
On June 6, Burgess was invited to come back to the inpatient oncology unit at PAH for the dedication of a Hope Bell. The new Hope Bell is mounted above a brass plate inscribed with the poem Ball created for Burgess. The first patient to christen the new Hope Bell, Burgess rang it robustly, smiling away as staff and guests applauded and cheered.
In the few weeks after the inpatient unit Hope Bell dedication, Ball and Angel McCullough, MSN, MBA, clinical director, Nursing, collaborated with colleagues to bring more Hope Bells to PAH. On June 18, a second Hope Bell dedication was held in the new Infusion Department of the Abramson Cancer Center at Pennsylvania Hospital. (PAH is now also home to Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center.)
Karnell is shown here with her youngest son ringing the new Infusion Department’s Hope Bell. A third Hope Bell will soon be installed in PAH’s Department of Radiation Oncology.
Kim Karnell – a breast cancer survivor of nine years who received her treatment at ACC PAH – was the guest of honor to help dedicate the Hope Bell along with other ACC PAH patients and cancer center staff.
The Joan Karnell Supportive Care Program (JKSCP) of the ACC PAH is named in memory of Kim’s mother – Joan Karnell – an ovarian cancer patient who also received her care at Pennsylvania Hospital. Kim, a resident of Bridgewater, NJ, actively raises funds for the ACC PAH. She and her family, who have been supportive of cancer care at PAH for years, have deep bonds with the cancer center staff and strong ties with PAH: “Four of the five people in my immediate family have had cancer and were all treated at Pennsylvania Hospital.”