Our Stories

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

Joyce and Earl

Walking Beside Families on Life’s Final Journey: Inside St. Joseph’s Palliative Care Program

For more than 25 years, St. Joseph’s Health Care London has walked alongside patients and families during what can be a very challenging time —end of life care. Since opening in 1999, the Palliative Care Unit (PCU) at Parkwood Institute has been a place of dignity and compassion for individuals across London and Middlesex living with life-limiting illness. St. Joseph’s Palliative Care Program provides pain management and relief of symptoms to those experiencing life-threatening, progressive or terminal illness. The PCU care team helps patients find comfort, supporting them body, mind and...
Read more

All in the family

A new exhibit at St. Joseph’s Hospital showcases generations of families that have contributed to the legacy of the hospital dating back to its earliest days. American author Alex Haley famously wrote “in every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.” At St. Joseph...
Read more
Chris Boyd with award

Helping to heal

“I was surprised when I got the call,” smiles Chris Boyd. “I never expected it and I could hardly believe it.” The unexpected call was from the Governor General’s office of Canada. Chris was given the exciting news that she was one of this year’s recipients of the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers...
Read more
Man gets eye checkup at Ivey Eye Institute

Protecting our most precious gift – our ability to see

Delicate and intricately complex, it’s essential for vision. It’s also a common culprit in the loss of that gift. The retina contains millions of cells that work together to detect light and communicate with the brain. But aging and various health conditions can lead to retina complications that can...
Read more
Mark Alfieri holding an apple

St. Joseph’s prescribes lifestyle as medicine 

For years, 58-year-old Mark Alfieri had missed all the signs of type 2 diabetes. The ones he did notice – numbness and pain in his hands and feet – he dismissed as part of a long-standing back injury. He also admits to abusing his body with less than stellar eating habits and an addiction to sugar...
Read more
a large group of parade participants wearing clothes with the pride stripes holding a pride-themed sign that reads "Embracing the diversity of our community with pride."

St. Joseph's participates in London's Pride Parade

Despite the call for rain, more than 40 participants from St. Joseph's Health Care London marched in London’s Pride Parade. Staff and physicians were joined by their family and friends for the walk, which was back after a two-year pandemic hiatus. The parade route started at the Western Fairgrounds...
Read more
Grace Hicks holding her horse Nova by the bridle as it nuzzles her shoulder

A horse of a different colour

The smell of wet grass filled her nostrils as avid rider Grace Hicks tumbled with her horse when the mare slipped on sod slick from a rainfall the day before. In that moment, her life took a devastating turn. “We both went down hard,” says the 20-year-old. “It was a fluke accident. The right side of...
Read more
group of people holding up a large vanity cheque and raising fists

Your support is making a healthier tomorrow possible

Last year, people reconnected to make a difference in the lives of patients and residents. These are just some of the ways you came together to make our community better. Getting Back into the Swing of Events Throughout the past two years, many fundraising events were postponed or cancelled due to...
Read more