Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Batman and a few of his closest friends joined nine child cancer-survivors on Wednesday as each child rang a bell symbolizing winning the battle with cancer.
The Mobile SWAT team joined the festivities with a grand entrance, rappelling down USA Children's and Women's Hospital dressed in costumes to greet the survivors and hand them their certificates.
Family-members were let in on the secret and clutched cameras as music suddenly started playing. Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson, MPD Chief James Barber and hospital officials looked to the sky, and the audience promptly followed.
Emerging over the ledge several stories high was Robin, throwing his cape over his shoulder and descending toward the crowd.
Children cheered excitedly as Batman, Captain America, Superman, Spider-Man and the Hulk followed suit.
Spider-Man drew the loudest applause when he turned upside down while rappelling and slid down the rope.
When Spider-Man approached the podium, he had a humble message to share.
"You're the real heroes," he said to the nine cancer survivors.
One-by-one, each child was called to the front for their turn to pull the rope and ring the bell.
Spider-Man or Batman offered each child a fist-bump, then handed them a certificate as well as a bell engraved with their name.
"Princess" Ja'Naya Dais White approached the bell proudly with a smile.
Dais-White has been cancer-free for a year, her mother Melissa said. She endured a three-year battle with Leukemia. Ringing the bell was "a blessing," said Melissa.
Asher Fleet, Angel Ramos, Cameron Abner, Eli Fulton, Kadal Ware, Miranda Arellano, Alex Tran and Michael Ables followed suit.
Ables, who just turned 18 on Wednesday, was able to ring the bell after beating cancer six times.
He is glad to be cancer-free, but given his bout with non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, he's just grateful to work on finishing high school.
"You can't get your hopes up, but you can live in the moment," said Ables.
Families rallied around their children while doctors looked on proudly.
"This ceremony gives us an opportunity to celebrate our patients who have been through so much," said Kim Thompson-Yates, director of the Child Life Program at USA Children's & Women's Hospital. "It's so important that we recognize those who have conquered cancer."
A child is diagnosed with cancer every three minutes, according to hospital officials. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
Today, there are more than 350,000 survivors of childhood cancer in the U.S., representing 1 in 570 young adults.
Another 16,500 children will be diagnosed with some form of childhood cancer this year in America.
Almost 80 percent of children diagnosed with cancer who receive treatment will be cured of their cancer thanks to advances in chemotherapy, radiation and surgical techniques.
___
Information from: Press-Register, http://www.al.com/press-register/
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
