Patient & Family Storytelling

Real People. Real Experiences. Real Impact.

Listening to the stories of patients and families helps us to understand the impact of care we provide, and the experiences of the people we serve. Storytelling helps bring the emotional connection of everyday activities of healthcare to the forefront.

The stories found here not only demonstrate the commitment of patients and families to help AHS learn what we do well and what we can do better, but also exemplify the courage and generosity that each storyteller embodies, something that our healthcare team genuinely grateful for.

We hope by sharing these stories that they inspire and encourage you, and the patients and families we serve, to work together and become better partners in care.

Vic

Vic's Story

Opening Doors

This story is about one man's experiences as both a construction general contractor, caregiver for his wife, and a patient in the hospital. Through Vic's story we learn the importance of collecting and communicating patient reported outcomes directly to healthcare providers so that they can continue to improve in their practice.

Pat

Pat's Story

Thoughtful

This story is about one woman's experiences with readmission to the hospital. In her story, Pat compares and contrasts two discharge experiences, one that was well planned and communicated, and one that wasn't. Through her story, we learn the importance of both healthcare providers and their patients being thoughtful in the discharge planning process.

Nancy

Nancy's Story

One Day One

This story is about the importance of early discharge planning in the success of a patient's return home from the hospital. After years of managing home hemodialysis and a specific diet, Nancy has learned the importance of planning ahead and through this story connects these lessons to one of her hospital experiences.

Heidi

Heidi's Story

Taking Responsibility

This story is about one caregiver's experience of navigating the hospital system after her husband suffered a traumatic brain injury. Heidi's story highlights how caregivers can feel intense pressure to ensure that their loved one receives the best care in the hospital and how clear communication and discharge planning is essential.

David

David's Story

A Good News Story

This story is about how clear communication and partnership with patients and their families can improve discharge planning and improve long-term health. David's story explains how there is no such thing as “too much information sharing in a hospital experience.”

Dan

Dan's Story

Waiting to be Seen

This story is about one quadriplegic man's experiences with delayed discharge and readmission to the hospital. Dan's story demonstrates how patients wish to be seen and supported by their healthcare providers and highlights some important aspects of person-centred care.

Kathy

Kathy's Story

Avoidable Pressures

Over a period of three years, Kathy's father developed recurring pressure injuries during his stays in hospital (periods when he was not able to move unassisted). In this story, Kathy shares the impact of pressure ulcers on her father's health and quality of life in his final years. This story demonstrates the importance of understanding the severity of pressure injuries and that they can be prevented through regular repositioning.

Jane

Jane's Story

Change

This story chronicles one person's experience as an advocate for the LGBTQ2S+ community over many years and describes the activities of the AHS Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression Provincial Advisory Council (SOGIE PAC). Jane's experiences demonstrate how information systems and individuals are both equally responsible for improving care for LGBTQ2S+ community members, now and in the future.

Shelly

Shelly's Story

The Snowball Effect

This story is about how quickly a difficult financial situation can begin to snowball out of control and directly impact the health and wellness of people in our communities. Shelly's story emphasizes how important it can be for healthcare providers to be aware of how financial strain can impact the care they provide to patients and their families.

Tim

Tim's Story

Speaking Up

This story is about one man choosing to speak up for those with lung cancer after his own “terminal” diagnosis. Tim's story emphasizes how important it is to amplify the voices of underserved populations within the healthcare system who are not always able to speak for themselves. Patient advisors and oncology care professionals can work together to create a more equitable system and improve the palliative care services for those who will need them.

Jane

Jane's Story

Right Words... Right Time

demonstrates how the language of palliative care can have a significant influence someone's experience, and explores how an early and systematic referral pathway to supportive palliative care services could improve the patient and family experience.

Deanne

Deanne's Story

Not a Waste

This story is about the potential difficulties of accessing healthcare services when facing a mental health challenge like Dissociative Identity Disorder. Deanne's story emphasized how the words and actions of healthcare providers can have a heightened impact on the wellbeing of those facing mental health challenges. It demonstrates why it is important to find new ways of delivering care that puts the needs of patients first.

Dawn

Dawn's Story

Difficult Road, Beautiful Destination

This story chronicles one woman's experience with weight loss during the COVID-19 pandemic. It demonstrates that obesity is a multi-factorial problem and requires many different types of supports. Through the process of working with a Bariatric clinic Dawn demonstrates how lifestyle changes, social support, and bariatric surgery can all work in tandem to improve both physical and mental health.

Erica and Ben

Erica & Ben's Story

Understanding

This story is about the experience of one mother and her young son as together they learn to navigate the challenges of a cancer diagnosis and treatments. It demonstrates how healthcare providers can learn to communicate with young children in a language they understand. Erica and Ben's story emphasizes that by helping both parents and children understand complex medical jargon, they both can play an important role on the care team.

Sheila

Sheila's Story

A Gift

Sheila discusses her diagnosis with lymphoma and her physical and emotional symptoms. She also shares her fears, her experience with finding support and asking for the help she needed, and the importance of using Patient Reported Outcomes (PROs).

Brett

Brett's Story

Things Change

Brett talks about his cancer treatment and recovery experience. He shares his reluctance to discuss his symptoms, and highlights the role his loved one played in explaining to the cancer care team what he was experiencing. This story highlights how healthcare professionals need to continually assess their patient's needs because things change.

Ann

Ann's Story

I can see clearly

Ann discusses how MyHealth Records, and the MyAHS Connect patient portals have made it easier for her to track her symptoms, appointments, see test results and communicate with her care team. Ann also describes how using Patient Reported Outcomes helped her understand her own symptoms and explain them to the cancer care team, in order to get the support she needed.

David

David's Story

Cancer. Alone.

David shares his experience about being a public figure with prostate cancer, and how, when, and with whom he chose to disclose his diagnosis. He explains that while although he felt alone at times, he was able to share his journey with the people he loved and then ultimately share his story more widely to spread awareness and help others.

Andrea

Andrea's Story

I'm The One

This story is about Andrea's experience with a cancer diagnosis and treatment while being a mother to her children. She shares the challenges she faced and how she found resilience, and how her efforts to help others led her to be honored as a Global Hero of Hope.

Iqra

Iqra's Story

Letting Go

Iqra is a young adult cancer survivor dealing with the fear of cancer recurrence. Her story highlights the impact on a young cancer survivors' life, the challenges navigating between primary care and the cancer care system, and moving forward in the face of recurring cancers.

Laura

Laura's Story

As Long as You Want

With three immediate family members diagnosed with cancer, Laura shares the challenges and experiences that she and her family faced throughout her family's cancer journey, both separate and intertwined. She communicates the importance of advocating for yourself and loved ones, even when palliative care is the only option.

An Albertan's Story

An Albertan's Story

Customer Care

This story is about how one woman's interactions with the health care system conflicted with her personal knowledge and experience in providing customer service. This story demonstrates the importance of asking questions, demonstrating understanding, and integrating the contextual factors of a patient's life into care planning decisions.

Ann

Ann's Story

My Duty to My Dad

This story is about the challenges and triumphs of caring for a loved one in a seniors' living facility through to hospital acute care during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of “no visitor” restrictions. Ann's story demonstrates the toll that isolation can take on the elderly and the important role that family play in the provision of quality healthcare, treatment decisions and end of life support.

Tracey

Tracey's Story

Finding My Way Back

This story is about one Albertan's experience of "post-covid syndrome." Tracey's story illustrates both the physical and psychosocial challenges of being a COVID-19 "long-hauler" as well as identifying the various resources and services that are being developed to help people with the potential long-term impacts of COVID-19.

Keighley

Keighley's Story

Overcoming Obstacles, Together

This story is about a young adult with Spinal Bifida learning to advocate for herself. It highlights some of the challenges of navigating a complex healthcare system and the important role that a family doctor can play to support those living with a disability.

Laurel-Anne

Laurel-Anne's Story

This I Believe...

This story explores the challenges and successes of using Self-Managed Care to support a loved one with a degenerative illness. Through Laurel Anne's experience, we understand how difficult it can be to both provide care for a loved-one and manage all the process, procedures, and paperwork that is required by the healthcare system. We also learn how important it is to provide patients and their families with services like Self-Managed Care so that they can stay connected to their communities and live well at the end-of-life.

Creeann

Creeann's Story

Blindsided

This story is about the challenges of following through on medical advice without the needed financial resources. Through Creeann's interactions with the healthcare system, we clearly see how financial strain can limit a person's ability to purchase prescribed medications. Simply asking patients and their families about financial strain, and practicing social prescribing, can lead to better support and better outcomes.

Wayne

Wayne's Story

Enter the Chaos

This story explores one family's experience of supporting a family member with dementia during a trip to the emergency department. It emphasizes why it is important to provide as much care as possible in a long-term care setting and how important family members are as advocates for their loved ones.

Kristine

Kristine's Story

A Seat at the Table

This is a story about navigating the pediatric health care system from a distance. Travelling for testing, consultations and care for Kristine's youngest daughter has been a part of their lives for over 6 years. With the heightened stress of COVID-19, came a breakthrough – the option to connect with their care teams virtually. Virtual care has not only given them time back with their family, but has reduced the psychological and financial stress of travelling for care and allowed them to still receive the care their daughter needs from the comfort of their own home.

Chris

Chris's Story

The Power of Movement

This story is about the importance of movement for improving the health of elderly patients with dementia. Chris' story demonstrates how involving family members in the care of their loved ones can significantly improve the quality of life of both a resident of a long-term care facility and their family members.

Jody

Jody's Story

Travel Changes You

This story is about the incredible life changes that accompany a diagnosis of congestive heart failure. Jody's story demonstrates how a clinical social worker can help provide both psychosocial and practical help to live well despite the challenges that can accompany a life altering health issues.

Pat

Pat's Story

Changing Behaviours

This story is about taking a thoughtful, proactive approach to de-escalating challenging behaviours in a continuing care context. Pat's story demonstrates how music care and using a behavior tracking tool to create person-centered care plans can significantly improve the quality of life of both a resident and the staff who care for her.

Lee Ann and her family

Lee Ann's Story

A Compassionate Heart

This story is about one mother's experience with her critically ill child. It shows how important both exceptional medical intervention and logistical and psychosocial supports are to help families in these very difficult situations. Sponsored by AHS Provincial and Calgary Zone Social Work Professional Practice Councils and The University of Calgary – Faculty of Social Work.

Tessy

Tessy's Story

Togetherness

Tessy began her journey as a “medical mom” at the age of 19. As her daughter fought through the first years of her life, Tessy began to learn the significance of mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health. When she began attending Tra-ditional Ceremonies, everyone around her started seeing a change. She developed strength and confidence she needed to have a quality of life she always desired for her family.

Astowaipi

Harley & Penny's Story

Astowaipi (Walking Together): Creating A New Path

This is a story of health planning and co-design in action with Calgary Zone Indigenous communities. Harley and Penny share their journey of the process which is centered on trust, relationship building, shared vision and collaboration. Grounded in ceremony, sacred stories, and a commitment to co-design, they connect with the diversity of urban and rural Indigenous communities to build the Calgary Zone Indigenous Health Action Plan.

G

G's Story

A Safe Place

Having grown up in a negative world of addiction as a result of intergenerational trauma, G makes the decision to break the cycle. She finds safety, strength and healing by reconnecting with her culture and traditions. As she jour-neys to sobriety she faces difficult choices.

Joe

Joe's Family Story

O'tsisina

Joe Old Woman inspired others to focus on what is possible, in every circumstance. His family shares their story of how their Indigenous community partnered with the Bassano Health Centre to fill Joe's final days with care and com-passion in a culturally meaningful way.

Hal Eagletail

Hal Eagletail and Family's Story

Past and Future

Hal speaks to the inspirational story of how his parents and family have shared the healing wisdom of Indigenous tra-ditional spirituality and herbal medicine knowledge within a western healthcare system. His story describes their journey as knowledge keepers and respected traditional healers as transcended through generations. It is through humble knowledge translation of indigenous ways of knowing and being that, whole healing is recognized in the partnership shared with western ways.

Marfe

Marfe's Story

The Big Leap

This story is about a resident care manager's experience with the planning and implementation of a Consistent As-signment staffing model at a long-term care facility. Her story demonstrates how listening and responding to staff concerns and taking a multi-staged, reflexive approach to a large organizational change, can lead to both improved care for residents and a better staff experience.

Harmony

Harmony's Story

The Good Daughter

This story is about one daughter's mission to ensure both her own family and her mother had a good quality of life as they transitioned her into a long-term care centre. Her story demonstrates how a consistent assignment staffing mod-el can significantly improve the quality of life of both a resident and her family as well as improve staff relationships with the residents they care for.

Taneen

Taneen's Story

All is Not as it Seems

This is a story about making a conscious choice to pursue a passion in the face of a difficult diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. It is about being aware of the challenges that a chronic condition can present, but not allowing these challenges to define you or what you are capable of accomplishing.

Nancy

Nancy's Story

There is a Way

This story is about one woman's journey to regain wellness after a diagnosis of kidney failure, and how personal accountability - along with the support of friends, family and the health care team - can contribute to a life well lived.

B

B's Story

Learning to B Myself

This is a story about facing and overcoming the challenges of severe occupational stress, gender identity and men-tal health issues in a rural context. Though the process of stepping away and seeing what is possible, B has re-turned with newfound acceptance and a passion for transgender advocacy and education.

andrea

Andrea's Story

Little Things

This story is about how an anaphylactic reaction can quickly escalate into a matter of life and death, and how having a supportive “work family” can make a meaningful difference during and after a traumatic event.

Robin

Robin's Story

Bleached

This story is about the challenges and sense of displacement Robin has experienced as an Urban Métis woman. She speaks about how traditional healing and wellness practices have been essential for her healing journey, and highlights the need to integrate traditional Indigenous female wellness practices into the health care system.

Dusty

Dusty's Story

How Much is Too Much?

This story follows the experiences of one caregiver as she supports her aging parents. It explores the challenging aspects of being a family caregiver and emphasizes the importance of healthcare providers taking the time to do medication reviews with their elderly patients.

Jennifer

Jennifer 's Story

It's All Good

This story is about a mother's emotional journey and path to healing as the caregiver for her son who has survived a “medical only” congenital heart condition.

Jane

Jane's Story

A Good Life...

This story is about a spouse's experience as a caregiver for her husband with cancer, and their decision to pursue Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID).

Erin

Erin's Story

Finding Hope Again

This story is about a mother's journey from despair to hope, as the caregiver of her young child who suffered from a massive stroke requiring numerous medical interventions. Getting new skills and be-coming confident helped her to see her role differently.

Dennis

Dennis's Story

Getting Help

This story is about a young man's struggles with alcohol and drug use and addiction, and how he had to confront and overcome societal norms to create his own path to recovery. Asking for help was a first step.

Cindy

Cindy's Story

Smile on My Face

This story is about one daughter's mission to ensure her mom had quality of life, support of family, and a home-like environment in a memory (dementia) care setting.

Jeraldine

Jeraldine's Story

There is Hope

This story follows the experiences of one Indigenous woman as she struggles with the implications of intergenerational trauma throughout her life. It emphasizes the importance of providing culturally appropriate healthcare services to indigenous populations in Canada.

Tim

Tim's Story

The Dyslexia Kid

This is a story about how the challenges of having a learning disability can lead to homelessness.

Marcella

Marcella's Story

Hand Overs

This is a story about the importance of continuity of primary care physicians in their lives of their patients, and the turmoil that can be caused when moving between family doctors.

Lucille

Lucille's Story

Dare to Hope

This story is about the challenges of receiving complex medical care in a rural area and the im-portance of faith and family in the midst of a life-threatening illness.

Lisa

Lisa's Story

Learning to Ride the Waves

This story is about the challenges of being a parent of children with rare diseases in navigating the healthcare system and the importance of exploring all options when pursuing a tricky diagnosis.

Kirby

Kirby's Story

Just in Case

This story is about how for certain populations, having a “medical buddy” can help complement the services provided by the healthcare system, while keeping care in the community.

Karon

Karon's Story

The Team Gets Bigger

This story is about the importance of having the continuity of a family doctor to coordinate specialist services for patients with complex healthcare needs.

Floranda

Floranda's Story

Listen to Me

This story is about how listening carefully to patients and their families can change the way we provide care… for the better.

Daralynn

Daralynn's Story

Silence is Deafening

This story shares the experience of living with fluent aphasia and highlights the challenges of inter-acting with the healthcare system when you have a communication disability. The story introduces the Communication Access symbol as a way for healthcare providers to improve the healthcare expe-riences of patients with a communication disability.

Emily

Emily's Story

Restoring Balance

This is a story about the challenges of navigating the primary healthcare system, accessing specialists, and the impact that a health condition can have on our mental health.

Joanne

Joanne's Story

Back to Basics

This is a story about one nurse's journey from a busy, inner-city Emergency Department to a small rural hospital with many elderly patients. It touches on themes related to elder-friendly care, restraint as a last resort, delirium, dementia, staff engagement, and the little but crucial things that can be done to improve care of the frail elderly in acute care settings.

Lenora

Lenora's Story

Being with Dad

This is a story about the challenges and possibilities of providing end-of-life care for the elderly in continuing care facilities. It touches on themes related to elder-friendly care,

Suni

Suni's Story

More Than My Left Arm

This story chronicles the challenges of being an immigrant with English as a second language in the Canadian healthcare system. It highlights the uniquenesses of receiving healthcare in a cross-cultural context and ex-plores how healthcare providers and patient advocates can play a role in supporting new immigrants by speaking their language and understanding their culture.

Sandra

Sandra's Story

Don't Give Up on Us

This story describes the experience of dealing with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), the stigma of medical leave, and the challenges of navigating the healthcare system with a rare and debilitating condition.

Joel

Joel's Story

A Split Second Can Change Your Life

This story begins with a car accident, a misdiagnosis, a fortunate encounter with a surgeon, and years of chronic pain and opioid addiction. It ends with a new perspective on chronic pain and a desire to be an ac-tive participant in the healthcare process.

Lynne

Lynne's Story

Good Surgery… Tough Recovery

This is a story of a cardiac surgery and recovery experience from a family caregiver's perspective. It explores the difference between efficiency and effectiveness in the healthcare system and the role that every person can play in improving patient- and family-centred care.

Greg

Greg's Story

Changes

This story describes an experience of managing recurring infections while being transferred between five different family physicians and the need for shared decision making.

Petra

Petra's Story

Choices?

This is a story about one mother's experience of her son's substance use and the important lessons about opi-oids that she learned as a caregiver.

Ann

Ann's Story

The Journey

This is a story about the experience of being a “hospital parent” and the challenges of managing caregiver burnout with medically complex children.

Annette

Annette's Story

Mountains & Valleys

This is a story about the difficult realities and complex emotions involved in caring for someone with cognitive decline. It touches on themes related to elder-friendly care, encouraging patient mobility, and using restraints as a last resort when caring for complex dementia patients and their families.

Gerry

Gerry's Story

Unrushed Conversation

Gerry's story is about his role as a Patient Experience Advisor and how spending time asking patients about their hospital stay can result in improved outcome and better, safer care plans.

Andrew

Andrew's Story

Friends, Family, Food

This is a story about living every day right up to the end in hospice care.

Deb

Deb's Story

Life is Beautiful

This story is about how having important end-of-life conversations before the end comes can make the final days a true celebration of life.

Teresa

Teresa's Story

I Was His Person

This story recognizes the importance of family caregivers, no matter how that is defined, at the end-of-life... and how the Grief Support program can help the family caregivers who gave so much of themselves.

Dave

Dave's Story

Requests Honoured

This story is about the experience of having a loved one die at home with the support of hospice home care.

Charlotte

Charlotte's Story

Perspective

This story is about the experience of losing a loved one in an acute palliative care setting and the little things that healthcare providers do to make it that much more bearable.

Phil

Phil's Story

Someday has Arrived

Patients are often told that 'someday' their condition will get worse. What happens when that 'someday' arrives? What can you do as a patient to set recovery goals? Recommended for anyone supporting patients and families with recovery goal setting.

Heather

Heather's Story

Wally's Way

Heather's story shares shows how intensive care units can be made into sacred spaces to support patients and families through difficult moments. Recommended viewing for anyone supporting patients and families in acute care settings.

Krista

Krista's Story

Words

How careful are we about our word choice when communicating with patients and their families? Krista explores how the word choices of healthcare providers impacted how she felt about herself as a parent, the care of her daughter and the future of their family. Recommended for anyone working with families and supporting loved ones with mental illness.

Tim

Tim's Story

Sliding Doors

This story is about the experience of a parent trying to access help for his daughter suffering from anorexia. It explores the impact on families when care plans differ between services and difficulty of relying on emergency departments when experiencing mental health challenges. Recommended for emergency department teams and those supporting families navigating mental illness.

Tara

Tara's Story

Small Changes, Big Challenges, Large Impact

Having a vision of what you would like to achieve with your health is often much easier than executing the plan to get there. Tara explores what is required to make lasting changes and achieve a vision of health. Recommended for anyone working to promote and support healthy living and behaviour change, or anyone looking for inspiration.

Rose

Rose's Story

Joy and Grief

How can healthcare providers help us navigate tragedy in ways that foster healing? Rose shares her deeply moving stories of the stillbirths of both her son and daughter, experienced nine years apart. She explores the differences between each experience, the impact on her life and how care providers can support patients experiencing grief. *Please note this story contains pictures of a stillborn infant to demonstrate how healthcare can support families through photos and mementos of their child. Recommended for anyone supporting patients with labour, delivery, women's health, mental health, midwifery and spiritual care.

Pamela

Pamela's Story

Riding in the Wind

Pamela's story explores how discovering what matters to patients can sometimes hold the key to their recovery. Recommended for all healthcare practitioners and support staff.

Laurie

Laurie's Story

Little Gestures, Big Impact

If one of your healthcare colleagues experienced a medical crisis, how would you support them? Laurie's story explores the challenges of being a nurse while also being the caretaker of a family member in medical crisis. Recommended viewing for all healthcare and healthcare support professionals.

Shelly

Shelly's Story

To Hell and Back

This story is about one woman's struggle to come to terms with her new reality after a pulmonary embolism and amputation of all the toes on her left foot. It highlights what it means to feel listened to by a health care team.

Jennifer

Jennifer 's Story

Losing Joyce

This story is about one adult daughter's experience of losing her mother to Alzheimer's disease. It highlights the incredibly important role that health care aids play in caring for aging parents and the challenges of being a family member in this situation.

Hugh

Hugh's Story

The Widow Maker

This is a story about recovery from a heart attack. The story addresses the critical importance of the patient and family members taking control of the recovery process as equal partners of the health care team.

Deanna

Deanna's Story

Remembering Why

This story is how the actions of one nurse helped remind a health care administrator why she got into health care as a career. It shows health care providers the importance of compassionate care, and that their daily clinical interactions do not just save lives, they can change lives.

Dennis

Dennis's Story

Why?

They were married for 53 years, and they were always there for each other. When Karol was admitted to hospital due to Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) compounded by Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD), Dennis' primary goal was to ensure that his wife was comfortable and her symptoms were well managed. As her caregiver, Dennis need-ed to ensure Karol had a voice, even when she herself struggled to breathe.

Rick

Rick's Story

Coach Rick

There are about 500,000 deaths per year caused by brain aneurysms. This is a story about the survival of a brain aneurysm and stroke, with the help of hospital staff, family, friends, and a soccer team.

Michelle

Michelle's Story

All the Little Things?

The medical family, a story of how a cystic fibrosis diagnosis changes the role of mom, and the medicalization of life.

Karen

Karen's Story

Shattered

This story is about the delivery of a final prognosis and what it feels like to receive that news. It also shows what happens to a person after they receive that information.

Debbie

Debbie's Story

The Path

This is a lifelong journey of a stroke affected patient. A stroke can have effect, not only on the patient, on families too. Every day can be frustrating, magical and full of new memories! It's all about perception and attitude!

Amanda

Amanda's Story

Her Decision

This story is about allowing a patient the freedom to choose their own outcomes. It speaks to our humanity and our right to make our own choice, regardless of popular opinions and potential obstacles.

Michelle

Michelle's Story

Now I Know You

This story is about how knowing a health care providers name and what they do is really important for patients. It talks about how knowing someone's name helps patient's feel more like they are part of their health care team as well as empowering them to ask the right questions to the right people and personally thank their health care providers for good care.

Aria

Aria's Story

This is N.O.D., Your Captain Speaking

This is a story about how a name tag shows that you are part of something bigger and proud of who you are and what you do. My name tag and badges in the Air Cadets are very important to me, and I think that health care providers should think about their name tags in the same way. The story highlights how important it is for health care providers to wear their name tags and share their name, occupation and duty, every time they interact with patients and fami-lies.

Bob

Bob's Story

Caught By Surprise

Your knees really DO buckle! That IS what happens when unexpectedly the cell phone rings and a voice delivers life shattering information. There are really only two pathways for a relationship to follow, each with very different, life changing outcomes.

Tracy

Tracy's Story

20 Seconds

This story is about how fragile someone's hope can be when they are in a life threatening medical experience. It is meant to start a conversation about the fine line that health care providers must walk between being hopeful while not providing false hope to their patients.

Maya

Maya's Story

I Am Maya

A story about how a doctor saw me as a person not as a disease or condition. And how those simple questions of getting to know me ultimately changed my view of the healthcare system and on myself as well.

Winnie

Winnie's Story

Things to Do

We are all too busy to get sick but it happens. This is a story of how my life was suddenly impacted by a heart attack at the young age of 48, and how I came to live with my condition with many things to do.

Leslie

Leslie's Story

Are You Ready to Begin?

This is the story of my struggle is the with obesity for more than 30 years of my life and how I eventually overcame it with the right medical help and support. It is easy to look at someone who is heavy and think the solution to lose and manage weight is simple. Proper diet and regular exercise are just smaller pieces of a bigger puzzle in managing this condition.

Garry

Garry's Story

Mindfulness

This story being a self-advocate as a patient. Learning to be physically and mentally strong while going through Cancer Treatments and Surgery to help in the recovery process. By using mindfulness and relying on the sup-port of his friends, family and health care team, Garry was able to successfully overcome a lot of pain and an-guish throughout his cancer journey.

Darlene

Darlene's Story

I'm Still Here

This story is about how I felt as the primary caregiver to a wonderful man with a terminal disease. I believe that it is a fact that caregivers fade into the background and lose their identity. It is important to me that everyone see this from a caregiver's side.

Ryan

Ryan's Story

Walk Through Fire

This is a story about the week where the system seemed to fail me. Numerous errors in my care forced me to take matters into my own hands and decide to care for myself. The story highlights how important it is for health care providers to understand and value the knowledge that patients may have about their own condi-tions.