Judy Martin has been cancer-free since 2013, and after winning her battle with breast cancer, she realized she wanted to give back. “I would sit watching patients leave the room, nobody did anything to celebrate,” she told CTV News. Martin says she wanted patients to be able to mark the end of a round of chemo in a big way. That’s how the idea for “The Bell Fund” was born. Proudly showing off the bell, she points out, “the bell says lucky, grateful, hopeful. Lucky because I found my cancer quickly and did something about it. I’m grateful for everything everybody did during my adventure and hopeful that it never comes back.“ CTV news was there when Judy rang the bell for the first time 10 years ago at The MUHC. A decade later, the fund has helped thousands of patients at The Cedars Cancer Centre. Anna Burgos, Co-Director of Cedars CanSupport explains they help patients with free programs and services and offering comfort. Each patient is given a kit filled with items to help make chemo a little easier, including a blanket. They also receive unique hand written cards from schoolchildren. “Often they’ll get an answer from the patient. And usually, it’s to that kid that really could use a pick me up,” said Martin. The ripple effect was one she didn’t expect. “Now that we know how it touches people, we’re just going to have it grow as fast and wide as we can,” she said. Burgos applauds Martin for how she involved the community and children, calling it, “remarkable.” The kits have been so helpful, they’re expanding and sharing them to other hospitals outside of Montreal, including the Eastern Townships. Looking back on the past decade, Martin says she is pleased to see how the fund has touched the lives of others. “I am very proud knowing that the bell will be here forever for generations of cancer patients to celebrate their adventure,” she said.
