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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an elderly Veteran creating an art piece at a weaving loom

The art of paying tribute 

Nestled within St. Joseph’s Parkwood Institute lies three art studios full of paints, canvases, fabrics, and other textiles just waiting to be transformed into visual pieces of art. The men and women behind the paintbrushes and crafty creations are Veterans who reside at Parkwood Institute as part...
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group of three people hold up a big vanity cheque

Remembering those who served our country

Thank you to those in our community who proudly wear a poppy as a show of respect for Canada’s Veterans or who make a donation in honour of the Veterans at St. Joseph’s Parkwood Institute. We are especially blessed to have the support of many branches of the Royal Canadian Legion and Army Navy Air...
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A dark grey marble monument with an engraved sign saying, "Flame of Hope" and a flame lit on the top stands in front of a older house surrounded by trees

The story starts here – 100 years of diabetes research and care

It was at 442 Adelaide St. North where Dr. Frederick Banting, a surgeon and professor at Western University, woke up at 2 am with the idea that led to the discovery. Since 1984, the house has been a museum dedicated to Banting's revelation. It is here that the Flame of Hope was ignited and continues...
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Coming Together for Diabetes header

Thank you for Coming Together for Diabetes

When our community comes together, amazing things are possible. The Coming Together for Diabetes event was an evening to remember. Former Humboldt Broncos hockey player Kaleb Dahlgren spoke candidly about the challenges of managing type 1 diabetes, inspiring us all with his strength, resiliency and...
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A woman in a purple vest and blue scrubs wearing glasses stands in the foreground of the picture beside a patient on a hospital stretcher, who is under some imaging equipment. Two men monitor the patient at the foot of the stretcher.

Illuminating discovery 126 years ago shapes medical care today

The first-ever Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Wilhelm Röntgen in 1901 in recognition of the extraordinary services he rendered by the discovery of the “remarkable rays” subsequently named after him." Whether you call them “remarkable rays”, “Röntgen rays” or “X-rays”, it is undeniable that...
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headshot of a man with gray hair and glasses wearing a dark suit with a white shirt and glasses, with a quote beside him on a black background. The quote says , "It's the partnerships that helped make innovation possible", and below it is "Dr. Frank Prato written in smaller font and italics

Dr. Frank Prato celebrates 45 years of medical imaging ingenuity

It started at the tender age of ten, when the son of hard-working Italian immigrants, Frank Prato recognized his affinity for science. When he thinks back, Dr. Prato recalls the influential teachers who helped shape his curiosity. "I have always had an interest in the medical sciences,” says Dr...
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A masked woman in glasses, dress pants and a blouse reclines on a hospital bed with one arm outstretched as she gives blood and the other giving a thumbs up

St. Joseph's completes Ontario blood drive with a top-two finish

Staff, physicians, volunteers, family and friends rallied in support of this year’s Canadian Blood Services (CBS) hospital donor challenge – earning St. Joseph’s an impressive second place finish among 10 participating Ontario hospitals. With 70 donations from Aug.1 to Oct. 11, St. Joseph’s was a...
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Jenna and Bonnie Haynes standing in a hallway at Parkwood Institute, holding bags of linens

Helping patients in their quest to live fully

Jenna’s eyes light up as she walks through the halls of Parkwood Institute Main Building helping other patients get where they need to go. Since being admitted to hospital in April 2021, the Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) inpatient team caring for Jenna noticed her increasing frustration with not being...
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