In the garden of CHRISTUS Children’s Hospital, dozens of people recently gathered to celebrate the end of a painful and emotional journey.

The bell toll echoed off the concrete steps. Penelope Cruz, 9, waited more than a year to hear that sound.

“It was very hard to take the pain, and I always, I just felt bad,” she said.

The moment marked the end of her cancer journey.

“We sacrificed and missed a lot,” said Monica Martinez, Penelope’s mother. “No more, like, thoughts at night that she’s not going to be okay because she beat it.”

Several families had posters and customized jerseys honoring childhood cancer patients.

Blood Cancer United, formerly known as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, passed out paper lanterns to everyone in attendance.

The lanterns, which are a staple of the annu

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