Judy Carson
On April 9, 2020, Judy Carson stood outside of RVH’s Emergency Department and waved goodbye to her husband, Reg. Neither of them could have known it was the last time they would see each other for seven weeks.
Judy’s COVID-19 diagnosis would send her on a journey she almost certainly would not have recovered from if it wasn’t for the life-saving care she received at RVH.
Stephanie Cobble
Before Stephanie Cobble walked into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at RVH, she felt helpless, drained and overcome with worry. Her son Christopher had been transferred overnight from Sunnybrook’s Level 3 NICU, where he had spent the first five weeks of his life, to the Level 2C NICU at RVH.
Stephanie had to wait until the morning to see her son.
Keith Hartley
Keith Hartley has lived in Innisfil for 25 years. He’s quick with a joke and wears a smile that’s contagious. Not all people who’ve been through what he has in the last year would be as resilient.
“I couldn’t even imagine where we’d be today without RVH,” reflected his wife, Kelley.
She feared the worst when her husband, Keith, was diagnosed with colon cancer in October of 2021. She had no way of knowing what was to come.
Kathryn Henkenhaf
It all started on a visit to my grandchildren. Every time I took a step, it felt like I was being stabbed in the stomach.
I told myself I was overreacting, and the pain would go away. But I’d been in agony for three days, and it wasn’t getting better. My husband and I decided to go to the emergency department at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH).
Drew Hodgins
A long-time resident of Oro-Medonte, Drew Hodgins is quiet and reserved. He’s someone who is thoughtful with his words and contemplates his actions before making them. He’s not one for loud celebration or anything that will put him at the centre of attention.
So, when he arrived for his first radiation appointment at RVH’s Simcoe Muskoka Regional Cancer Centre in July 2021, he was certain he wouldn’t be one of those banging the gong at the end of his treatment.
Lois Yanuzzi
Lois Yanuzzi is a golfer, a swimmer and a hiker. She’s also living with cancer. Each morning she wakes up in her Tiny Township home with a grateful heart.
“I know how valuable each day is,” said Lois. “I am one of the fortunate patients at RVH, as I continually feel well and am living life as usual.”
In November 2020, Lois went to the Emergency Department of her local hospital for what she assumed was pneumonia. After a thorough examination, the ER physician suspected something else.
Ted Markle
Ted Markle is the organizer of the Braestone Winter Classic. Reflecting on his cancer journey, he feels an appreciation—not for the journey itself, but for the perspective, it has given him on the life he feels lucky to have.
Four years ago, Ted noticed a lump on his neck while shaving. He brought it up to his doctor. After a few biopsies, he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Dianne Mehaffey
Dianne Mehaffey is a member of RVH’s Auxiliary and a non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivor. She knits, walks, and spends as much time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren as she can.
She volunteers on Monday afternoons at the welcome desk in the Simcoe Muskoka Regional Cancer Centre (SMRCC) and when it starts back up, she’ll be once again assisting with the Look Good, Feel Better program to help women with cancer feel better about themselves.
After all, she knows what that journey is like.