"I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2008, and I was treated for that in 2008 and 2009. I had a recurrence in 2013 and nothing with the lymphoma since then, but I was diagnosed in 2023 with lung cancer in my right lung. And then this past fall, I had a tumor in my left lung and I just finished radiation therapy for that last week," said Bigham.
Following his initial bout with cancer, he started volunteering with UNC Cancer Care, at the urging of his wife Rita.
"She was a long-term volunteer at the hospital. And once I retired, I think she wanted to get me out of the house," Bigham joked.
It was in his role as a volunteer patient navigator that he noticed something was missing.
"We had a patient in our clinic across the hall that had just finished treatment and wanted to celebrate and we didn't have a gong. We didn't have a bell. We had nothing on the second floor. We had to go actually up to the third floor to the infusion clinic and use their bell there for this celebration. And I said, well, this is really not acceptable. We have to have something in our clinic so that our patients have a chance to celebrate," said Bigham.
In early 2023, he took action, ordering the parts, finishing the backboard, and working with staff to find a location to mount a victory bell on the floor. Those efforts were partially interrupted by his own cancer battle that year, though ultimately he was able to finish the project.
"Years ago people didn't celebrate until years after their treatment. Recently it's become you celebrated when your treatment ended and I thought that we didn't celebrate enough, we didn't declare enough victories and that we really ought to do it more often and for more things. I think just giving patients a chance to celebrate their little victories was important. And also, I thought that other patients watching someone celebrate their victory would give them encouragement and carry them forward," said Bigham.
He volunteers in a unit overseen by Dr. Trevor Hackman, who serves as the Chief of the Division of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology.
"I think only a patient, though, can really appreciate how much ringing the bell matters. So the day he hung it up, it was the most joyous thing," added Hackman.
Hackman says his unit sees about a thousand patients each year. He often operates three times a week, working alongside six partners who also specialize in head and neck cancer.
"There's weeks that are difficult in the operating room, difficult in the clinic. There are condolence cards that we have to write frequently because patients pass away. And so just having that sense that we actually made a difference and that you get to celebrate the wins gives you energy to deal with the tough times because there always will be tough times, but it allows you to kind of put things in perspective and realize this is why we're doing what we're doing," said Hackman, as he described the impact of the bell on staff.
Both men say they often look for patients to ring the bell, stressing the importance of acknowledging those victories.
"It keeps people's spirits up," Hackman shared.
Early last year, Rita Bigham was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which progressed rapidly. She passed away in April.
"I wish she was here today to see what we're doing, but I know that she would enjoy that and I know that she would still be here if she could. And she continued to volunteer as long as she could," said Bigham.
That's exactly what Bigham plans to do, conversing with patients, making the rounds, and offering words of encouragement.
"I'm hoping somebody rings it today," said Bigham.
SEE ALSO | UNC, Duke join forces to help fight childhood brain cancer