He Rang the Bell More Than Once and Still Needed Tomorrow

The story

Sam Lerner first faced mantle cell lymphoma in 2015, then again in 2019, then again. In January 2025 he rang the bell after CAR-T therapy when scans showed no evidence of lymphoma.

Bells are honest celebrations. They are not contracts. Months later another diagnosis arrived. Survivorship, he wrote for CURE, is not a straight line.

What happened next

He named two supports that did not require him to be impressive: a partner who walked every step, and a steady inner life that kept despair from moving in. The lesson he offered readers was not triumph. It was companionship.

A lesson you can use this week

If you are in a long medical story, stop demanding a final episode. Build a team for the middle.

Sources

Sam Lerner, CURE, “The Bell Wasn’t the End of Cancer,” June 26, 2026.