Our Stories

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

inside view PET/CT with patient

Unlocking boundless potential

Ashmeet Gill had her first PET/CT scan shortly after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the body’s germ-fighting immune system. She was nervous. Claustrophobia is an issue for the young Stratford resident and the scan, necessary to determine if the cancer had spread beyond the lymph nodes in her neck, would take 34 to 45 minutes, she was told. Wrapped in a sheet and tucked inside the tube of the PET/CT at St. Joseph’s Health Care London (St. Joseph’s), Ashmeet, then 24, steeled herself to remain calm. But near the end of the scan, a sense of panic set in. “It was not pleasant...
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A soldier's story of finding hope

Ten years ago, Wes McTeer, was on the battlefields in Afghanistan. At 21 years of age, alongside fellow soldiers, he cleared main supply roads of improvised explosive devices and mentored the Afghan National Police. It was an extremely dangerous mission, but from an early age, Wes knew he wanted to...
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Denise Taylor

Meet Denise Taylor, Otolaryngology Nurse, Head and Neck Surgery

What do you know about the people you pass in the hall or see in the cafeteria every day? What do they do at St. Joseph’s? Here we will introduce you to a member of the St. Joseph’s family, recognizing their contribution to respect, excellence and compassion. Role As a nurse in St. Joseph’s...
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Preventable pumpkin carving injuries

Every Halloween, surgeons at St. Joseph’s Hand and Upper Limb Centre (HULC) treat patients with severe cuts to fingers and hands suffered while carving decorative pumpkins. “These preventable injuries can lead to surgery followed by three to four months of rehabilitation,” warns Dr. Ruby Grewal a...
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bags

The gift of the ‘Bag Ladies’

In the friendly and quaint village of London’s Old South, tucked away in the basement of the majestic Wesley-Knox United Church, there’s a sweat shop. No guff. Each assigned a specific task, 15 to 25 women sit in clusters at tables toiling all day long – well organized, perfectly choreographed and...
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nurses

Decorated nurse part of St. Joseph’s storied nursing past

She was born the year St. Joseph’s Hospital opened and graduated from the hospital’s nursing school 20 years later. But the call to serve with respect, excellence and compassion in the tradition of faith and caring would bring this young nurse far beyond the walls of St. Joseph’s Hospital and Canada...
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poppies

Prideful poppy making

One hundred years ago, poppies grew on the battlefields during the First World War. There is perhaps no greater symbol of remembrance than the poppy – a reminder of all those who fought and lost their lives for the freedoms that we have today. On Sept. 19, in partnership with the Grand Theatre...
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