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...
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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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Wendi Heal gesturing toward her throat while she sings during therapy to restore her voice

Surviving COVID-19 – the recovery reality

Wendi Heal had heard the horror stories about those who ended up on a ventilator with COVID-19. And here was the lead COVID-19 physician at her bedside explaining her deteriorating condition and just that grim possibility. “I remember asking him what my chances were for recovery once on a ventilator...
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Laurel Lamarre and Chris Boyd wearing masks standing in front of the Family Education Resource Centre at Parkwood Institute

Supporting families through education

Understanding how to support a loved one with a severe and persistent mental illness can be challenging and at times, even isolating. That is why, more than 15 years ago, the Mental Health Family Education Course was introduced at St. Joseph’s Health Care London, in support of patients and their...
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Jill Chapman and her husband and son at an ice hockey rink

An unwanted discovery leads to thoughtful gift

Jill was watching an episode of Oprah when she first discovered the lump in her right breast. Oprah’s guest was explaining how to check a bra’s fit and Jill was following along when she felt the mass. It was an anxious feeling given that she had recently been given a clean bill of health after her...
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teenage boy receiving a COVID-19 vaccination from a female clinician

A sigh of relief

Like so many people with serious health conditions, Joel McLaughlin lived in fear of contracting COVID-19. Yet, he was also terrified of what it would take to properly protect himself – the vaccine. At 17, Joel has spent a lifetime in and out of hospital battling asthma, pneumonia and numerous...
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two men raising their drinks while sitting outside

Your donations fueled our fight against COVID-19

Keeping people connected During a time of self-isolation, the world has become much smaller. Your support kept loneliness at bay for residents, inpatients and Veterans through the purchase of iPads and SMART Boards for virtual calls with loved ones, which also provided fun and educational...
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