Our Stories

Read the latest stories about what's going on at St. Joseph's Health Care London.

Tall dream comes true

With a list of burning questions in hand, Patricia Prance answered an incoming video call. On the other end of the line – a giraffe and his zookeeper. Prance has virtually visited not one but two giraffes thanks to St. Joseph's Health Care London's Palliative Care Unit at Parkwood Institute. Her interest in giraffes first sparked when she visited African Lion Safari as a kid. “I just fell in love with the way they ran and their tall necks. And I'm tall and lanky and run kind of like a giraffe,” she laughs. Prance always dreamed of meeting a giraffe and being able to pet it, but travel...
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Photos of Dr. Kristi Clemens and Savita Dhanvantari, PhD

Exploring the future of diabetes care

It’s only fitting that some of the biggest breakthroughs in diabetes research continue to happen in London, Ontario – the birthplace of insulin. On October 31, 1920, Sir Frederick Banting woke up in the middle of the night with an idea that led to the discovery of insulin, from his home at the time...
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Bill Lee sitting on a bench smiling

The gift of time

As he reflects on his life to date, Bill Lee is proud and content. He’s also grateful. He’s grateful for the mental health care he received. He’s grateful to the people from community organizations who took a chance on him and helped him build his confidence to create the life he wanted. And he’s...
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Opening digital doors – Kristin Busche

St. Joseph’s Health Care London's annual Diabetes Half Century Awards highlight patients like Kristin Busche, whose diabetes journey has led to a life of online advocacy. Discovering a virtual tapestry of support and connection among the dynamic online diabetes community changed Kristin Busche’s...
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Roy Butler standing

Imagination to innovation

At St. Joseph’s Health Care London (St. Joseph’s), we’re proud of our illustrious legacy of discovery and our culture of innovation. Every day, we work to transform imagination to innovation to impact. Now, we are building a future of even more “firsts,” more breakthroughs – and even greater patient...
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man in vr device

Nature's healing power

Using virtual technology, St. Joseph’s Health Care London is bringing the outdoors in for forensic mental health care patients. Imagine sitting on a white sandy beach in a tropical location. The sun warms your face and a gentle breeze ripples across the water when, out of the corner of your eye, you...
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group of researchers conversing

Capturing Bacteria’s Grand Ballet

Within each of us is a world populated by a bustling metropolis of microorganisms – a tapestry of trillions in a delicate dance to balance health, well-being and vitality. Far outnumbering human cells, this dynamic ecosystem of busy bacteria, industrious fungi and elusive viruses is the body’s...
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doctors work with their patient

Revolutionizing rehab

St. Joseph’s is setting a long-time vision into motion. “Five years ago, we had a vision of leveraging our long history and expertise in providing innovative rehabilitation treatments to improve the lives of people with mobility needs on a larger scale,” says Roy Butler, President and CEO of St...
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hands picking materials to create zines

Changing our MINDS

The words and images are both heartbreaking and hopeful. “Nobody likes you if you are sad.” you are enough. stay strong. let life surprise you. “Please don’t leave like everyone else.” 1 year sober. 1 year of school. 1 year building a safe home. 1 year loving myself. Zine-writing, a personal and...
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doctor smiling next to cyclotron

Illuminating the body's smallest secrets

Tucked behind the protective lower walls of St. Joseph’s Hospital lies a futuristic workshop of sorts – a place where science, technology and leading-edge medical care converge. Within a behemoth, 62-ton machine, a swirling vortex of powerful magnetic fields and electric pulses is creating bursts of...
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