Stories

In the early hours of a January morning, life took an unexpected turn for Tom Porter. A routine trip to the bathroom turned into a cascade of health challenges that would test his resilience and determination.

As someone who is currently battling ovarian cancer and has already beat three different types of cancer and had 20 surgeries before her 76^th birthday, Anita is no stranger to hospitals. Recently, Anita and her daughter Megan moved from Toronto to Shelburne, and they were not accustomed to the warm and welcoming environment and care they found at Headwaters Health Care Centre.

Does it seem that family emergencies tend to happen at the most inconvenient times? This was what happened for Tabitha, mother of Garrus, when he fell on his arm badly enough to bring them to Headwaters’ Emergency Department (ED) – just a few days away from an out-of-country family vacation.

When Joy arrived at Headwaters for rehabilitation, she was impressed and appreciative of the superb care that she received.  

In all professions, there are individuals who are really committed and know how to encourage, support and give excellent care. Joy felt confident, happy and content with the care she received from her team of nurses and personal support workers.

Harman, one of our student volunteers, chooses Headwaters because of the career growth opportunities, ability to build her knowledge in health care, and contribute to positive outcomes. 

How long have you volunteered at Headwaters? 

I have been volunteering as a Patient Companion Volunteer at Headwaters Health Care Centre since September 2023 in the E-wing. 

It’s not every day that a perfect career opportunity comes your way that fits both your family life and your professional development goals. For Neil, Headwaters’ HVAC Technician, the opportunity came when he joined our Facilities team initially as a Maintenance Mechanic. “Before I came to Headwaters, I was a Pipe Fitter. I had a lot of experience in most aspects of the construction world. When I heard that Headwaters was hiring (I was constantly watching the Careers web page), I threw my name in the hat as soon as I could. I wanted to work closer to home, and be able to be part of the community I lived in,” says Neil, whose commute to work is significantly shorter from Shelburne than driving to the GTA daily.  

Just as every child is unique in their family, every birth is different. When Kathryn arrived at the Obstetrics department at Headwaters Health Care Centre to deliver her third child, she knew what to expect, already having two healthy children born at Headwaters six and twelve years ago, respectively.

Things were progressing according to her birth plan, and she chose an epidural. But when Dr. Umeh, a trusted obstetrician who had delivered one of her girls, arrived as scheduled to break her water, Kathryn knew there was something terribly wrong when she saw the tremendous rush of fluid.

As a longtime resident of Orangeville, Susan had few occasions to use the services of Headwaters Health Care Centre over the years. It was not until 2021, after a routine mammogram, when she was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer that she became a regular.