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Photo of Dr. Tamara Spaic, endocrinologist at St. Joseph's.

Study offers hope for hard-to-treat type 2 diabetes

Lisa Mercer had tried just about everything to regulate the ups and downs of her blood sugars, from a strict diet to medication to four-a-day-day insulin shots. But her busy life with type 2 diabetes finally started to feel better when she enrolled in a clinical trial at St. Joseph’s Health Care London to test the effectiveness of a system that combined glucose monitoring with an automated insulin pump. “It was life-changing for me. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 25 years ago and my blood sugars have always been all over the map. I felt sort of helpless. I said yes to this clinical trial...

Good food, better health

“You are what you eat,” says Christina Seely, Registered Dietitian at Parkwood Institute. “I often tell patients that our bodies don’t plug into the wall—they rely on the essential nutrients we consume to function.” Working in the Mental Health Care Program for 14 years, Christina is the dedicated...

The lives you save

“I don’t know who helped saved my life,” says Andrea Campbell. “I can’t meet them or thank them personally – but I can give back. I can donate blood.” In 2015, Andrea, a therapeutic recreational specialist with St. Joseph’s Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team, was the recipient of a massive...

Scanning electron microscopy images showing organic material, crystals, and bacteria present on the surface of the ureteral stents

New urinary microbiome study could be first step in providing personalized care to patients with ureteral stents

For patients with kidney stones, ureteral stents (hollow devices placed in the ureter – the tube between the kidney and bladder) can be used temporarily to relieve urinary obstruction. Despite the use of antibiotics, ureteral stents often become encrusted with minerals and coated with bacteria. This...

Kneading a helping hand

Stacey gets emotional when she thinks about what life has been like over the past year. Living through the pandemic has given her a newfound appreciation for her family, friends, health and career. It reminds her not to take anything for granted and help others whenever possible. Stacey is a...

A simple exchange

Makayla was feeling quite overwhelmed and anxious when the pandemic began. She was aware the pulmonary function clinic was going to be closed temporarily, and that she was going to be sent to work in another area, but she didn’t know where. “Our team became closer as we were all going through...

New options in an old battle

While many may have heard of sickle cell disease, an understanding of its life-altering trajectory and the agony it reaps is often lacking. At St. Joseph’s, pain specialists are part of a new, collaborative approach in London to improve care for a growing number of people living with the blood...

A hairy situation

While attending school, Rhianne Chalmers started a part-time job as a dog groomer and quickly fell in love with the job. She worked as a groomer for nearly six years before opening her own shop in Kilworth-Komoka last summer. She was driven to succeed and the business was already seeing encouraging...

Specialized diabetes care may help prevent recurrent emergency department visits

One in three Canadians is living with diabetes or prediabetes. When they experience complications like severe hyperglycemia (high blood sugar), they require emergency care. For many, one emergency department (ED) visit leads to multiple others. “There’s an increasing prevalence of diabetes in our...

Behind the mask I am doing my part

Ryan has an important job. Early in the pandemic personal protection equipment (PPE) was scarce, and Ryan was redeployed from his role in Health Records to Healthcare Materials Management Services (HMMS) to ensure the distribution of PPE across the region. That PPE is keeping everyone safe – from...