“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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Think you’re allergic to penicillin? One in 10 people believe they have a penicillin allergy but actual numbers are much lower. Penicillin is an unfortunate bystander in many ‘viral exanthems’ – an immune system reaction that appears as a rash and is caused by viruses, explains Dr. Samira Jeimy, an...