Beloved TV judge Frank Caprio “rang the bell” to a standing ovation following his final radiation treatment only 7 months after he revealed he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Caprio, 87, known for his viral and compassionate courtroom videos, shared the heartwarming news on Facebook Friday with the hope of good days to come.
“ON MY WAY.. After my final radiation treatment Baptist Health Cancer Care Baptist Health, I rang the bell and am on my way to happy days!” Caprio posted alongside a video of his celebration.
“On my last day of radiation treatment at the Miami Cancer Institute, part of Baptist Health South Florida, I had no idea what they had in store for me,” Caprio said.
The Chief Judge Emeritus initially received treatment in Rhode Island and at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Ma. before he sought treatment in Florida based on a friend’s recommendation.
Caprio and his family were greeted in the lobby by a crowd of hospital staff waiting to celebrate with him.
“Happy days are here again,” the group sang of Ben Selvin and the Crooners 1930 hit.
Caprio’s doctor, Doctor Michael Chuong, the Medical Director of Photon and Photon Therapy at the center joined the celebration.
“It is with extreme excitement that we congratulate you on finishing your treatment here at Miami Cancer Institute,” Chuong told Caprio. “We look forward to seeing you for many, many more follow-ups to come and excited that hope is alive again and happy days are here again.”
Chuong handed Caprio a judge’s gavel, with a gold ribbon tied around it, as the retired jurist made his way to the victory bell.
“My treatment’s done. This course is run, and I am on my way,” Caprio says as he rings the bell to a standing ovation.
In Nov. 2023, Caprio says he wasn’t feeling good around his birthday, and after a medical exam was given the dreary news.
“The report was not a good one,” Caprio said in a video shared. “I have been diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas, which is an insidious form of cancer.”
“I’m being treated by a wonderful team of doctors, both here in Rhode Island and at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts,” the Chief Judge Emeritus said. “I pray that God guides their thoughts and their hands in their treatment of me.”
Caprio had served as the chief judge of the municipal court in Providence, Rhode Island for nearly four decades until his retirement last year.
He gained notoriety for his courtroom show “Caught in Providence,” where some of his famous moments were based on his compassion for the misfortunate people who landed in his courtroom.
