Our Stories

Caught Early, Cared for Close to Home

Joanna's

Better Care Story

Share This Story

Joanna's Better Care Story

I’m a healthy, optimistic 44-year-old woman. I didn’t think I could have cancer, not even when I was called back for another mammogram and an ultrasound.

Then I got a call from my family doctor. My screening results showed a 95% chance of breast cancer. I was being referred immediately to Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH) for a biopsy.

I had the biopsy a few weeks later. Every day felt like an eternity. I knew I had cancer. I just didn’t know how bad it was.

My surgeon, Dr. Kealey Miles, shared the news. I needed surgery to remove the tumour and surrounding lymph nodes. I was lucky. We caught it early.

That was the beginning of my journey through cancer treatment at OTMH. It was also the first time I’d been in a hospital since I moved to Canada 10 years ago. I was instantly reassured by the compassion and expertise of the staff. They made me feel safe.

I had my lumpectomy and was sent home the same day, with a tiny incision and a huge sense of relief.

Today, I’m doing great and grateful to be closely monitored by my care team at OTMH. Thanks to them, I now have the gift of being able to see my two teenage sons grow up.

With gratitude,
Joanna Zhou

Because of donors like you, more patients get the care I did.

Every day, patients across Halton face a diagnosis they didn’t see coming. Your gift helps fund the beds and equipment OTMH needs so more people get the same compassionate, timely care Joanna received.

Message from Mary McPherson

More neighbours gave for the first time. More communities saw their place in this hospital. And more donors stepped forward at a level that will shape OTMH for years.

Your support powered Project WomanKIND, our giving circle of more than 130 women helped fund new audio-visual systems and 4K monitors for our operating rooms. These upgrades sharpen surgical precision and improve outcomes for patients close to home.

You also powered three initiatives that are changing how care reaches our community:

Halton@Home brings short-term clinical care into patients’ homes after a hospital stay.
Same-Day Surgery sends more patients home to recover the night of their operation, supported by smaller incisions and a team that stays with them from surgery through physiotherapy.
The Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team pairs a trained police officer with a health care professional, so urgent mental health calls get the right support in the moment.

The full stories are waiting for you in the report.

We are getting ready for the next step at OTMH, and it is a big one. The province has approved the build-out of the hospital’s shelled space, roughly 80,000 square feet of room built in from the start so we could grow when the need arrived. That need is here.

Over the next two years, we are raising funds to equip it. The government is funding the construction. Our community is funding what fills it, from the beds and monitors to the technology the teams rely on. This is the next chapter of care at OTMH, and you are already writing it.

This work is part of NXT10 (Next 10), our $150 million campaign. Funding the shelled space is a critical priority within it, alongside investments in capital equipment, mental health, and clinical research.

As we look to the future, this year also marked an important new chapter in how we work. In September 2025, we entered into a management agreement with the Georgetown Hospital Foundation. The partnership has already strengthened both organizations, and while the path ahead is still taking shape, we move forward with optimism and a shared commitment to the patients we serve.

A decade ago, you helped open a hospital this community could count on. This year, you widened the circle of people building it. Next, we grow it together.

None of this happens without you. On behalf of every patient, family, and staff member at OTMH, thank you. I can’t wait to show you what comes next.

With gratitude,
Mary McPherson, CFRE
CEO, Oakville Hospital Foundation