Patient Stories

On a cold February night in 2011, Gail Beerman’s husband, Earl, took his last breath. His prostate cancer had spread to his bones and bladder, and the only thing the doctors at Guelph General could do was to keep him comfortable. It was a very difficult time for Gail, but she was grateful for the…

It was Rhonda’s second routine screening mammogram that revealed a lump. A biopsy confirmed breast cancer. “I was shocked” said Rhonda. “I really wasn’t expecting that news, but I was thankful when my physician said it’s in an early stage and my odds of beating it were very good.” Rhonda underwent minor surgery at Guelph…

Malachi Brnjas is one year old now. He’s a bright, handsome little guy who’s just learned to wave goodbye. When he 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…

Bill and Jean Fitzpatrick are long-time Guelph residents who are enjoying their retirement years. Bill had a career of 33 years at the Upper Grand District School Board. Jean, a former social services worker, keeps connected as a part-time Donor Services Representative for Canadian Blood Services. The lively couple has a penchant for cruises where…

I’ve got to keep going. When Geoff Greaves ended up in Guelph General’s emergency department with internal bleeding in June 2016, he found himself repeating that mantra often. Blood tests revealed his hemoglobin was down in the 50s. Normal levels for men are 140 to 180. It was a scary time for the retired Air…

In November 2017, Paul Breadner and his work colleagues participated in Movember, the fundraising and awareness campaign for men’s health. As he had done in previous years, Paul took a yearly PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) test as part of his commitment. This time, the results came back showing slightly elevated levels. After repeated PSA tests with…