Over the past four years, Kathleen has undergone three surgeries, one emergency room visit, and countless appointments and procedures at the Queensway Carleton Hospital (QCH) after her diagnosis of breast cancer in 2018. She credits both The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre and QCH for providing the excellent care that has not only saved her life, but also changed her life.

During the first year of treatment, Kathleen attended countless appointments, primarily at the QCH and the Irving Greenberg Family Cancer Centre. And while people might expect staff at a cancer institute to always be gentle and compassionate, this is not the description of busy hospital staff that usually springs to mind - staff who, incidentally, had been running flat out long before anyone had even heard the terms Covid or Health Care Crisis.

But gentle and compassionate - along with capable and competent - is exactly how Kathleen describes those who cared for her at the Queensway Carleton Hospital. She remembers the nurses who held her hand, and volunteers who brought her warm blankets; the doctors who knew her name without referring to her chart; the technicians who talked her through every step of scary procedures; the scheduling staff who could magically fit her in for earlier appointments; and all those who lifted her up when she needed it most.

The Queensway Carleton Hospital was there for Kathleen when her life depended on it. She will be forever grateful.