Share your story with us.
Do you have a story about an exceptional care experience from the healthcare team at Guelph General Hospital that you’d like to share? We love hearing stories about the care you or a loved one receive at Guelph General Hospital.
Stories of Care
Together, our community saved Bruce Barker— and his livelihood
Every Saturday morning on his way to work, Bruce Barker stops in front of Guelph General, looks up at the floor where he was treated six years ago and feels very lucky. Bruce’s story began just after Christmas 2016, as he and his partner Wendy were driving back from her mother’s. Just after they turned […]
Together, our community cared for Ross McKinnell
Ross McKinnell, a Guelphite of 57 years, is no stranger to anyone who supports the Guelph General Hospital. He is a champion bicyclist who has raised an incredible amount of money for the Foundation over the past seven years and has been inducted into the Tour de Guelph’s Hall of Fame. But this story is […]
Together, our community cared for baby Alice
When Janet and Scott’s first baby, Ben, made his entrance at Guelph General in 2018, they were home the next day. With their second baby, Alice, born in March last year, the experience was totally different. Alice was premature by a month. Although she weighed a healthy 7 pounds, 2 ounces, her delivery date came […]
Together, our community cared for Laura Keller
“I’m one of the good news stories” Laura Keller never believed she’d get breast cancer — “not in a million years,” says the Guelph mother of three. Unfortunately, she was wrong. It all started with a routine mammogram in the spring of 2021, the kind recommended for women every two years once they turn 50. […]
Together, our community cared for Ron King
Ron King grew up in Guelph in the 50s. He attended John F. Ross CVI, married his high school sweetheart, Brenda, and enjoyed a long career at W.C. Wood. Once retired, Ron and Brenda travelled worldwide — Fiji to Finland, Australia to Alaska. It was on the return from a Caribbean vacation in 2019 that […]
Together, our community cared for Helen-Ann Learmont
Leading into the holiday season, Guelph General Hospital received an email from Manny Garcia who wished to express thanks to the Guelph General team who provided care to his wife, Helen-Ann Learmont. Manny Garcia graciously writes: Dear Guelph General Hospital, I also wanted to acknowledge the following individuals; Emergency Department Nurses who took such good care of […]
Together, our community cared for Jean Peacock
Jean Peacock was born in Guelph in the late 50s and, after many years away, returned in 1998 to care for her mother. Jean’s travels took her to many places including ten years teaching English to members of the South Korean military. She now holds a position with Immigrant Services Guelph-Wellington, helping to connect newcomers […]
Together, our community cared for Ron Asselstine
As a linesman in the NHL and WHA for 25 years, Ron Asselstine travelled all over Canada and the U.S. However, he’s always called Guelph home. When he and his wife, Wendy, took long walks through their neighbourhood, they often went past Guelph General — but Ron never expected to be racing there in an ambulance.
Together, our community cared for Ed Herold
Ed Herold is a retired professor who spent more than thirty years teaching at the University of Guelph in Family Relations and Applied Nutrition. He finished work in 2005 and has enjoyed many years of adventurous travel and cruising with his wife, Yvette. On a cruise late in 2019, Ed began to feel weak and […]
Together, our community cared for Jen MacLeod
Jen MacLeod teaches at Brisbane Public School and has lived in Rockwood for eleven years. She’s really active outdoors and loves to canoe and camp with her husband Daryl and two kids, Aven 15, and Remi, 11. When she turned 50 in 2019, Jen knew she was due for a mammogram but put it off […]
Together, our community cared for Alan Berry
At the beginning of April 2021, Alan Berry tested positive for the U.K. COVID-19 variant. He was 49 years old and had no pre-existing health conditions, so he decided to just muscle it out at home. But his symptoms kept getting worse.
Together, our community cared for Pearl Cooley
We have all been thinking about our lung health more than ever before as the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps the globe. Imagine how concerned you would be if you had a double lung transplant? What if you were a two-time, double-lung transplant recipient? This was Pearl Cooley’s reality when she was diagnosed with COVID-19 positive in […]
Together, our community cared for Carolyn Heffernan
Carolyn Heffernan is a nurse, through and through. She graduated from St. Mary’s in Kitchener in 1969 and, from that day on, pursued her career at St. Joseph’s Hospital and then Guelph General Hospital, through many different and exciting roles. She retired in 2011 but kept her hand in with casual nursing shifts until 2017. […]
Together, our community cared for Angie Hunt
Angie Hunt has been a very active parishioner at her church since 2004 — a strong supporter and member of its Stewardship and Fundraising Committees. Pre-pandemic, when a lot of construction work was being completed at the church, Angie was on-site visiting the office in a construction trailer. She was looking forward to a pilgrimage […]
Together, Our community cared for Axel, Oscar and their parents Ariana and Mike Christie
Oscar and Axel are fraternal twins, growing fast and keeping their parents very busy. And even though they are busy, parents Ariana and Mike Christie are breathing easier now that the boys are home. The twins were premature at 34 weeks and stayed in the Hospital’s Special Care Nursery (SCN) for the whole first month […]
Together, our community cared for Susan Jackson
Susan Jackson tested positive for COVID-19 in the first week of April. The diagnosis was more concerning than usual because Susan lives alone and has emphysema, a condition that compromises her lungs. After several days trying to manage the symptoms at home, Susan realized that she needed help and called an ambulance to take her […]
The Brnjas family received exceptional care and applaud plan that will make it even better
When Malachi Brnjas was born with an infection and jaundice, he was admitted to Guelph General’s Special Care Nursery (SCN) for five days of intravenous antibiotics. The SCN is part of the Hospital’s birthing unit where newborn babies may have to spend a little extra time, especially if born prematurely or with complications. Malachi’s mom, Angela, stayed nearby in the Family Care Unit, a four-bed space for moms whose infants are receiving care in the SCN.
Judy writes to GGH expressing her gratitude for the exceptional care she received
We often receive letters from former patients letting us know how much they appreciated the care received while at Guelph General Hospital. These letters usually focus on the incredible team of staff at the Hospital, and the compassion and kindness with which they work. What we know is that behind this team stand our donors, people like you, funding the vital equipment that enables the highest quality care and experience to be provided.
The Fitzpatricks grateful for excellent patient care close to home
Five years ago, following the biopsy of a small growth on his face, Bill Fitzpatrick was diagnosed with melanoma. Since then, he and his wife Jean have racked up ‘frequent flyer points’ between Guelph and two hospitals in Hamilton dealing with the disease and its complications including seven surgeries. Bill also stayed more than two weeks at Guelph General in 2017 when a related brain inflammation threatened his life.
A mother shares her experience at Guelph General Hospital
At Guelph General Hospital, caregivers are committed to providing the highest quality care and experience to patients and their families – and their pet stuffies too!