DOWAGIAC — Thursday afternoon, breast cancer patients Mary Parker and Mary Ellen Wilson held bouquets in their hands as they stood in the hallway of a hospital.

Raising a triumphant fist in the air, Parker celebrated the fact that she was leaving the hospital and the end of a hard-fought battle against cancer.

“In the beginning, I was getting ready to take a shower, and I felt a lump, and I got it checked out, and it was something, I didn’t want to hear. It was cancer,” Parker said as she recounted months of chemotherapy treatments and surgeries. “It’s been a nightmare. … But today was really amazing.”

The staff at Ascension Borgess Lee Memorial Hospital, 420 W. High St., Dowagiac, hosted a “chemo graduation” for two breast cancer patients, Parker, 51, of Decatur, and Wilson, 59, of Dowagiac, who had recently completed their chemotherapy treatments and were looking at remission. For the graduation ceremony, the two were presented with framed certificates, T-shirts and flowers, and a party was hosted in their honor.

“This is a celebration of them and the completion of their chemotherapy sessions,” said Natalie Ryder, Chief Administrative Officer at Borgess Lee. “There’s a lot to celebrate.”

Both Parker and Wilson said the graduation ceremony moved them and that they appreciated that hospital staff would host an event in their honor.

“This was so nice,” Wilson said. “I was an 11-year breast cancer survivor, but the cancer came back. So, the last year, I’ve been doing chemo, radiation, you name it. … I’m glad to be done and to have had such a wonderful staff here.”

Thursday’s ceremony was the second chemo graduation the Borgess Lee has hosted. The first was organized in December 2018. After seeing the emotional response from patients at the first graduation, hospital staff said they saw the ceremony benefited patients, and it was an event they wanted to host again.

“It’s been an emotional rollercoaster from the time they were diagnosed with cancer, so this a release,” said Penny Cooper, a registered nurse at Borgess Lee. “This is a way for us to say goodbye and that when you see me again, it won’t be because I have to poke you or give you medicine.”

Both Cooper and Ryder said they were happy to celebrate with patients when they complete their chemotherapy treatments, as it can be a somewhat rare happy time when treating patients with cancer.

“It’s a reminder of why you do what you do,” Ryder said.

“It really makes you smile,” Cooper added.

As for Parker and Wilson, they said they are grateful for the support that the staff at Borgess Lee has given them during their chemotherapy treatments. As they move forward to a chemo-free lifestyle, they said they would encourage any breast cancer patients going through chemo to stay strong and keep a support system of family and friends around them.

“Now, I just want to be doctor free for a while — no chemo, no nothing. Just relax and enjoy the summer,” Wilson said of her plans for the future.

“I just want to keep getting better,” Parker added before she and Wilson walked out of the hospital with their families — hopefully for the last time in a long while.