Heart of Care

How do you tell the story of a 100 year old community hospital that has impacted countless lives in a 20-minute film? This was our task when we began working with St. Mary's General Hospital Foundation in 2022 as they prepared for their 100th anniversary celebration and museum exhibit. The team at SMGH provided us with an extensive list of possible interview subjects, from patients and staff to board members and former nursing students. We had numerous calls with individuals on the list, and started to piece together the format for this film - intimate, first-person patient experiences woven with day-in-the-life footage of the hospital's staff and perspectives from the people who keep the wheels turning.

One of the patient stories we found very unique and interesting was Robert Freestone's story. He was living 200km away from St. Mary's Hospital, on a gravel road off a gravel road in Lion's Head, when he had a severe heart issue. He was airlifted to the cardiac unit at St. Mary's and survived. We had the opportunity to travel up to Lion's Head to interview Robert and his neighbour Brian about the experience, and this remarkable patient story became the brackets within which we decided to frame the film.

"Heart of Care" is part of the 100th Anniversary exhibit ongoing at the Waterloo Region Museum until April 2025.