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

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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...

Back in the saddle

It had been years since Karen Hendrie rode a bike. But that all changed one sunny July morning. Accompanied by Lynn Benyon, Therapeutic Recreation Specialist, and Sara Jibb, Occupational Therapist, Karen enjoyed a cycle around Parkwood Institute – with a smile on her face the entire time. Karen, a...

Opening your hearts

On a warm spring morning in May, more than 1,100 people were the first to hear about a new initiative St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation is undertaking – The Patient Assistance Fund for Mental Health Care. Launched at the 2024 Breakfast of Champions event, which shines a light on mental health care...

a woman in a wheelchair gardening with the assistance of a tool as her care provider watches

Putting the pieces together

“I like to say that we put the fun in functional,” says Judy Beitz, a recently retired Therapeutic Recreation Specialist in St. Joseph’s Complex Care program. “Some patients think they're never going to get back home. But getting them engaged in leisure interests actually benefits what they’re...

The good fight

In the fall of 2024, screening rates for breast cancer are set to rise in Ontario – dramatically. And Dr. Sarah Knowles, Surgical Oncologist and Interim Director of the Breast Care Program at St. Joseph’s, is ready to support even more people through the breast care journey. “I get to work with...

Going strong

During her formative years of medical training, Dr. Jamie Fleet started learning about osteoporosis (loss of bone strength) and a seed was planted in her head. After a stroke, someone’s bone health and bone strength weakens rapidly. But she noticed there weren’t any guidelines for Canadian care...

Breanne and Elysia in garden at Parkwood

Regaining life through leisure

When Elysa Spetgang was 21 years old, she had no idea the numbness and tingling in her feet would eventually lead to a medically induced coma and life support, a diagnosis of Guillain-Barre Syndrome and an eight-month stay at St. Joseph’s Health Care London’s Parkwood Institute. For four months...

Clintar landscaping workers standing in a field with tall grass and a hospital building in the background

A people-first partnership

As long-time supporters of St. Joseph’s Health Care London, Clintar embodies respect, excellence and compassion in all the ways it works to serve others. It is these shared values that have formed the foundation of a proud 20-year partnership between Clintar and St. Joseph’s. Members of the London...

Off to the races

For Joe DiBrita, Tim Mason and Alfonso Campos Reales, there’s always been something special about being on a bike. The three friends all loved the freedom and excitement of riding their bikes when they were kids, and found the sport again as adults. “Whether commuting, riding road bikes, mountain...

Both sides of the operating room

Debbie Grant understands the critical importance of investing in modern medical equipment, having witnessed firsthand how state-of-the-art technology can save lives, including her own. In 2017, her life changed dramatically when an MRI for back pain revealed a mass on her kidney—a CT scan suggested...