In late 2014, Roger Ahamad’s family doctor had some concerns based on symptoms and directed him to an Emergency Department. Roger came to Joseph Brant Hospital, and after undergoing testing, he was scheduled for a follow up four months later.
But when Roger came for his follow up appointment, the mass had grown significantly.
“I remember the worried looks on the doctors’ faces,” he recalls. “They said one way or another, this mass needs to be removed and the surgeon ordered a CT scan to prepare for surgery. That’s where things took a turn.”
The CT scan revealed a large mass on Roger’s colon, a smaller mass on his pancreas, and two spots on his liver –all of which looked cancerous.
It was April 22, 2015 when it was confirmed to be cancer, and that surgery was not recommended because it had metastasized. Roger and his family were given a median survival timeline of 11 months.
“We set my expiry date at March 22, 2016,” said Roger.
Roger began palliative chemotherapy treatments at Joseph Brant Hospital, and received what was termed the “Olympian treatment of drugs.”
Over the next almost five years, Roger received treatment every two weeks – 95 in all, in addition to 10 visits to the Emergency Department, 25 nights in hospital, and five radiation courses. Throughout it all, he knew he was in good hands.
“I have nothing but incredible memories of the entire team at JBH, most notably the nurses, who I call my oncology angels,” he said.
In March 2020, chemo was paused to determine the impact of treatment to the tumor. The good news was the multiple CT scans have, and continue to show no change. In July 2020, Roger had surgery to remove the mass obstructing his colon. The pathology, post surgery, revealed that it was a benign growth (schwannoma).
Because of the incredible care he has received, Roger has been able to continue to spend time with his wife and children, and his dog Marley.
“My family is grateful for the care I’ve received at JBH and can’t thank the team enough,” said Roger. “Thanks to the expert, compassionate care I received there, I am still able to go on holiday with my wife, celebrate important milestones with my family and play golf with my friends.”
For Katie Murray, volunteering goes beyond the sense of good that comes from giving to your community.
“Volunteering is great fun,” she says. “Getting involved and meeting new people who share a common goal, being busy, learning from each other. It’s such a wonderful way to be an integral part of your community.”
Katie has volunteered with the Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation Board of Directors since 2017 and is retiring from the board after six years of service. She has served on numerous committees and recently completed her second year as Vice-Chair.
She volunteered throughout her children’s school years – from fields trips, and class celebrations through speech judging, staff appreciation to major gala fundraising events – which she says kept her busy for almost two decades.
“Once my kids all graduated a dear friend introduced me to JBHF, and what a great fit,” Katie says. “I couldn’t think of a more important organization to which I should direct my energies. Healthcare is important to everyone.”
She is proud to have learned so much about the funding requirements of hospitals, how only the operations are funded by the province, all equipment needs to be paid for through fundraising.
For Katie and her family, Burlington has been home for over 25 years, with her youngest being born at JBH, as well as a few visits to the Emergency Department over the years. So getting involved in supporting healthcare close to home was an easy decision.
“Burlington is a great community to raise a family and it’s important for Burlington residents to be able to count on our local community hospital to provide excellent healthcare,” she says. “Through my time on the Foundation Board and hearing regularly from the senior leadership team I have total confidence our hospital provides excellent healthcare and will continue to do so moving forward.”
Dr. Steven Selchen joined the JBH Foundation Board in 2020 and instantly demonstrated his passion for creating access to high quality care. He had been an active supporter of the work of the Foundation through his role at JBH, and joining the Board of Directors was an extension of his desire to support the hospital and the community.
“JBH and Burlington have provided me with caring and supportive collaborators in demonstrating the kind of innovation that makes access to high quality care possible,” he says. “To me, volunteering is an essential part of that, and an essential part of each of us making our contribution to the world. We are all at our best when we are giving – giving of our time, our energy, our expertise, and our other resources.”
For Dr. Selchen, his time on the board was a unique and extraordinary opportunity to both learn and share how essential the Foundation is to being able to provide the kind of care hospitals provide.
“Many people think that because we live in a country with a publically funded healthcare system, everything is simply provided for by government,” he says. “In fact, very little of the extraordinary care JBH provides could be possible without the generous and vigorous support of our community through the Foundation.”
For Dr. Selchen, volunteering with the Foundation has allowed him to lead by example, to participate in the giving, to work along side passionate and dedicated volunteers and supporters, to learn from the extraordinary Foundation staff and network of generous supporters, and to help realize our vision of access to high quality care.
And how does he balance his clinical, professional and family responsibilities with his time volunteering?
“Volunteering in this way hasn’t come at the expense of my professional responsibilities or family duties – it invigorates them both,” he says. “One of my fondest memories is standing in the rain with my three children, and thousands of members of our community, at a JBH Foundation event, all of us in orange ponchos, as we tried to set a record for the largest letter J made out of people.”
For Dr. Frank Fornasier, Lead Hospitalist at Joseph Brant Hospital, joining the Board of Directors of the Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation was an easy decision.
“I’m a strong believer that wherever you work, you should be an owner, not an employee,” he says. “That means believing in your organization, and I believe in Joseph Brant Hospital and its commitment to our community.”
And for Dr. Fornasier, a big part of that is showcasing the Foundation and the role it plays back to the frontline workers in the hospital and in the community.
“I wanted to inform the community just how helpful their generosity and commitment is in terms of improving the quality of care that we can provide in the hospital,” he says. “My time on the Board and working with the Foundation team has been a wonderful, eye-opening and inspiring experience.”
Dr. Fornasier says he learned the true value in volunteering when he worked in the United States, where “it seemed like everyone did at least 3 or 4 volunteer jobs.” He says volunteering is very important to me because I feel like it is up to each of us to try to create a better hospital, a better community and a better world.
“What I saw in the US was a great spirit of volunteerism and people really wanting to make a difference in the community,” he says. “We’re so fortunate to live in this great country, it’s easy to give back…I consider it a duty and an honour.”
For Dr. Douglas Belton, Chief of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging at Joseph Brant Hospital, the biggest lesson learned in college emerged during his time as a student-athlete.
Dr. Belton played Division I college basketball for Hampton University (Virginia, USA). While it was great to play against future NBA stars such as Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison, it was obtaining firsthand knowledge of team building and creating a culture of winning that transformed his approach to life and his leadership at JBH.
“I saw firsthand how to build a team, how to nurture it to get the most of out everyone,” he said. “I have carried this over to my current role.”
In fact, it was the team and some of the innovative thinking and approaches to healthcare that inspired Dr. Belton to take on his current role at JBH.
“When I came for my interview, I saw the Pandemic Response Unit, which clearly put the community and patients first,” said Dr. Belton. “The Complete Breast Care program is another example of an innovative program that our community is lucky to have and deserves.”
For Dr. Belton, diagnostic imaging is central to the healthcare system and provides a truly unique opportunity to work collaboratively with other departments toward the success of the entire organization.
“The vast majority of patients will require some sort of imaging during a typical hospital visit,” he says. “I want to work with my colleagues to provide the best possible care.”
When Brooklynn and Rob Eaton’s twins arrived six weeks early, it wasn’t the storybook beginning to parenting they were hoping for.
“You’re expecting the same thing as your friends, and the movies, and it’s not always the case,” said Brooklynn.
After spending two days in a local Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), the doctors came to tell the new parents that their newborns, Madilyn and Hugh, needed to be transferred to make room and that Joseph Brant Hospital had space.
Before they came to JBH, the twins were separated within the hospital, which meant Brooklynn and Rob needed to split up and take turns spending time with their son and daughter separately. But once they arrived at JBH, they were quickly moved to the same bay so the family could be together.
“Right off the bat the whole atmosphere was amazing,” Brooklynn said. “We live an hour away and were worried about being on time, but the nurses were so reassuring and supportive. It was just so accommodating and it made me feel 100 times better.”
For the first-time parents, it was the staff and the support that truly made the difference. The nurses and pediatricians were in constant contact providing updates on the overall health of the twins and how they were progressing.
“They were fine to stand there and listen to our dumb questions,” joked Rob. “They did a fantastic job of telling us what the issues were, and what Madilyn and Hugh needed to do to be able to come home.”
For Brooklynn, the nurses truly made the experience.
“Nurses are just another breed of human,” she said. “Madilyn was suffering from acid reflux, and I was so upset. The nurses took the time to teach us, answer our questions, and always made us feel better.”
The twins spent a total of 30 days in the NICU and being an hour away Brooklynn and Rob often would call the nurses when they woke up to check-in.
“We would call and say ‘how was their night?’ and I felt we were becoming annoying, but it felt like they were waiting for our call,” Brooklynn said.
Overall, the couple was very happy with the care they received, and the overall experience.
“Whenever we tell people we were in the NICU, we would get that sympathetic ‘Oh…’,” said Brooklyn. “And I’ll say ‘you don’t understand – our experience was as good as it could be in the NICU. At one point there were only 4 babies in the NICU, and we were half of them!’”
In honour of the incredible care their family received, and in celebration of World Prematurity Day (November 17), Brooklynn and Rob asked for donations to the NICU instead of presents for Madilyn and Hugh’s first birthdays.
“The whole experience was very, very impressive and we’re so grateful,” Brooklynn said.
“It was just like you see on television,” remembers Jane Cook. “Mom’s mouth was drooping, her right side was paralyzed and we knew right away she was having a stroke.”
It was December 30th, 2021 and Jane’s mom MaryJane was rushed to the emergency department at Joseph Brant Hospital where she received a shot to clear the blockage while simultaneously preparing her for transport to a regional centre.
“I was receiving regular updates from Dr. Faulkner, and received a call from the nurse with mom in the ambulance that the shot relieved the clot,” says Jane. “She said I have the best news ever and mom was a good news story for sure.”
MaryJane had been diagnosed with dementia, and had no short-term memory. As a result, the team at JBH decided to admit her to the ICU for monitoring.
“She came home thinking she was a hotel for five days,” says Jane. “The food was good, and the service she received – the people were just so kind.”
Two days later, almost to the minute, Jane was back on the phone with the same 9-1-1 operator as her dad was experiencing similar symptoms.
“He said I can’t feel my hand – get Jane,” she remembers. “He was having trouble putting words together, and wasn’t really steady on his feet.”
The paramedics quickly identified that Frank had indeed experienced a mini-stroke, and brought him to Joseph Brant Hospital.
Frank spent almost three weeks on the rehab floor, where Jane remembers the incredible staff who looked after her father and called her with regular updates.
“All of the nurses were beyond great, beyond knowledgeable, beyond kind,” she says. “The fundamental approach was ‘How can I help you today?’.”
Frank celebrated his birthday in the hospital, and Jane and her siblings worked with the team to send over spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread and a chocolate fudge cake.
“I’m so grateful for what they did for my dad,” says Jane. “They found he was dehydrated and had an undiagnosed stroke in the past. It was a blessing in disguise.”
For Jane, Frank and MaryJane, the experience with the team and the care at JBH was second to none.
“I was so impressed with everything,” Jane says. “When I retire, I’d like to work or volunteer at JBH – that’s the environment that makes you want to do better and to be a better person.”
Harsukh Ganatra had been suffering with increasing pain and fatigue for a week, when his daughter-in-law Deepa decided it was time for a visit to the Emergency Department at JBH.
“He kept on trying to reassure us that everything was fine, he was okay, but of course, we do worry,” said Deepa. “I pushed them to come to Jo Brant because I knew he was going to get the care he needed, and that’s exactly what happened.”
Upon arrival, he was triaged and taken for bloodwork. After a thorough interview and physical exam by Dr. Hansberger, Harsukh went for a CT scan.
“Imagine our surprise when shortly after returning from diagnostic imaging, Dr. Hansberger reported Dad had a burst appendix at 83 years old,” said Deepa.
After consultation with the surgical team, Harsukh was admitted for several days of IV antibiotics and observation. He later returned to JBH to have his appendix removed.
“Throughout this entire process, from the initial visit to the Emergency Department and subsequent admission, to the final surgery, we as a family have been completely overjoyed with the level of care and communication Dad received,” said Deepa.
Deepa and her husband Kartik are making a gift to the Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation in recognition of the care Harsukh and other members of their family have received.
“We felt that the experience was so incredible and he was looked after so well, that we felt like this is something we needed to support,” said Deepa. “We wanted to ensure that everyone in our community could access the same level of services and the same level of care that we did.
For the Ganatra family, giving the gift of healthcare is a new way to give this Diwali, and are matching all gifts made up to $100,000.
“We are excited to use donation and match to encourage the wider community to support JBH, especially around the Diwali celebration, when we give thanks for our continued good health, prosperity and happiness,” said Deepa.
When Lori Stephenson moved back to Burlington in 2015, she immediately looked for an opportunity to volunteer.
“It’s important to me to be an active member and contributor to the community in which I live,” she said. “I saw the hospital as the heart of the community and serving on the Foundation Board was a great way to get reconnected to Burlington.”
As Lori completes her six-year term on the Foundation Board of Directors, she looks back proudly on the launch of the Join the J campaign.
“I joined right around the time we launched Join the J. I’m particularly proud to see the branding take root and to be a part of helping to grow that recognition,” she said. “It’s important for the community to connect the work of the Foundation with our Hospital. Join the J has helped strengthen that awareness.”
For Lori, volunteering with the Foundation has helped grow her appreciation for healthcare and healthcare workers.
“We take a lot of our healthcare system for granted because we’ve been told healthcare is provided to us, we don’t fully appreciate how much isn’t a given,” she said. “My time on the board really helped me understand that while our taxes go to provide a level of healthcare support, it isn’t enough. So much of what someone sees and experiences within the Hospital is a result of direct support to the Foundation.”
Lori is proud to live in Burlington and encourages everyone to consider their role in community building.
“We are fortunate enough to live in one of the top-rated cities in the country, and that doesn’t just happen,” she said. “We all have a responsibility to ensure future generations experience the same or better … and that doesn’t come from watching others.”
We recognize Lori and thank all the Foundation volunteers during National Volunteer Week.
Joseph Brant Hospital has been a part of Anna Iacobelli’s entire life – she was born at the hospital and this year is completing a six-year term on the Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation Board of Directors.
In between, she volunteered in the ICU, and saw her family receive care for decades.
“My parents were brought back to health many times there, my nieces and great-niece were born there, my grandmother and my father spent their last days receiving excellent care, she said. “The hospital has always been there for me and my family.”
During her time on the JBHF Board, Anna spent two years as Vice-Chair, and two years as Chair, driven by her belief in the power of community and our collective ability to lift each other up in meaningful ways.
During her time on the Board, Anna reflects on the impact of COVID-19 on hospitals, and the community.
“Covid hit us hard – we had to pivot on how we would connect with our donors, stakeholders, volunteers, and our new board members,” she said. “It was so great to see how the board and the community came together and I was so proud of the strength of our hospital and our front line health care team.”
For Anna, volunteering brings diverse people and communities together and encourages others to give back to JBH.
“It’s our community and it’s our hospital – we need to give back because when we need the hospital it will be there for us – so we need to be there for the hospital.”
We recognize Anna for her contributions and wish all our volunteers a very happy National Volunteer Week.