For Francis Ddembe, becoming a monthly donor to Women’s College Hospital is a meaningful way to give back to the place that helped him regain his health after arriving in Canada as a refugee. Searching for a safe and secure future for himself and his family, Francis left his home country of Uganda in 2018 to start a new life in Canada. After arriving as a refugee, Francis was connected with Sojourn House in Toronto—a...

Born with congenital hip dysplasia, Kaori was always aware that she may face painful mobility issues later in life. She remained active in an attempt to keep herself mobile and manage her condition until she experienced a pain in her hip that she had never felt before.“I’ll never forget the sound my hip made that day while I was on a run. It was a huge crack!” says Kaori. “I immediately knew I had done...

After being diagnosed with a severe thyroid disorder and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and being unsuccessfully treated by three separate endocrinologists, I was referred to Dr. Sheila Laredo at Women’s College Hospital. The moment I met her, I knew I was in good hands. She was patient and kind but also direct. After years of failed tries and fertility treatments, she helped me finally get pregnant.   But most...

Rosalind Gill struggled with chronic hip pain for years and even feared she would need a hip replacement before finally receiving a diagnosis – fibromyalgia. A complex chronic condition, fibromyalgia causes musculoskeletal pain that can be difficult to manage. Treatment often involves medication but Rosalind was hoping to find a more holistic approach. “After receiving my diagnosis, I began looking for alternatives to...

These days, when Patricia sits down at her kitchen table and connects with her Women’s College Hospital psychiatrist on her laptop, she thinks back to the days when seeing a doctor would have been next to impossible. Those were the days when she could hardly get out of bed – unable to even shower, let alone get in her car, drive to the hospital, find parking and wait for her appointment.   After giving birth to...

When Julie’s second son Oliver was born, despite not having a prenatal diagnosis, she immediately knew he had Down Syndrome. What she didn’t know when he was rushed to the NICU hours after his birth was that he also had two holes in his heart that would require open heart surgery nine months later. For the first few months of Oliver’s life, Julie was terrified of what his future would look like and was devastated...

The first thing Janet Macbeth wants people to know about her is that she is a loving and dedicated wife and mother. She and her family care deeply for their Southwestern Ontario community. She is passionate about her career. And she is trans. For Janet, being trans hasn’t always been an aspect of her identity that she has been open about. For many years, shame, fear and anger prevented her from coming out to those around her...