Joan and Gary Hutchinson have a 30-year connection to St. Boniface Hospital.
September 16, 2025
Many people have said that St. Boniface Hospital offers a different level of care – more compassionate, caring, and kind. In Winnipeggers Gary and Joan Hutchinson’s experience, that rings true throughout their long-standing connection to our Hospital. Though Gary’s story begins at St. B in 2011, Joan’s begins back in 1976.
Gary’s started his journey at our Hospital when he was diagnosed with heart disease. After dealing with high blood pressure and a few other risk factors, he started experiencing chest pain. He underwent an angiogram at St. B, revealing several blockages in his heart. That summer, he received five stents to open his arteries back up.
Reflecting on his experience, Gary says it was eye-opening. “The staff were so easy to deal with, and so comforting. They really put you at ease and help you feel calm – as calm as you can be.” After his stents were placed, Gary was referred to cardiologist Dr. Andrew Morris for ongoing care, whom he describes as “a great mentor” and having an “incredibly gentle manner.”
In 2019, Gary started feeling a fluttering in his heart, and a skipping sensation. He was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AFib), the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia. When a patient has an arrhythmia, there are a few ways to correct it, depending on the severity and the patient’s circumstance. If an arrhythmia goes untreated, it can increase the risk of stroke, dementia, and even death. Thankfully, Gary had a successful cardioversion – a procedure that uses a controlled electrical shock or medications to restore a normal heart rhythm.
Gary felt severely unwell on Thanksgiving of 2022. He was short of breath, had no appetite, and was nauseous – not quite how he wanted to feel ahead of a family dinner. Knowing St. B was the place to go, Gary and Joan headed to the Emergency Department. He was seen quickly and diagnosed with heart failure, getting in and out within just a couple of hours. He began drug therapy through the Bergen Cardiac Centre at St. B with medications to stabilize him and help alleviate his symptoms.
As Gary recalls, “We knew that going to the Emergency Department was the right choice. We only wish we had done it sooner! But you brush it off. You don’t want to be a burden or take up resources. We’re just glad we got there.”
Today, Gary is feeling better. In 2022, he could barely walk twenty yards. Now, he’s able to enjoy neighbourhood walks with Joan. He attends RehFit cardiac rehabilitation classes three times a week. And he will be discharged from the Heart Failure Clinic as an outpatient later this year. Gary summed up his care as “exemplary”.
The St. B legacy began three decades ago
Though Gary’s cardiac experience is recent, the Hutchinsons’ connection to St. Boniface Hospital actually began 30 years ago.
Joan worked in administrative support for various departments throughout St. B for most of her adult life, becoming familiar with the system. Hers was a friendly face for the new residents coming to train in the Hospital’s Emergency Department, including Dr. Kristjan Thompson, now Chief Medical Officer of the Hospital; and Dr. Zoe Piggott, Site Director for the Emergency Department. “It’s amazing, remembering these doctors as brand-new residents, learning the ropes,” said Joan. “And now, they’re in these really impressive, roles at the Hospital. It’s great.”
Support from our donors empowers St. B to deliver the compassionate care for which it’s known. “St. B is different,” said Joan. “It’s a whole other level of compassion in the staff. The spiritual care there is so strong.”
“I would say the people who work there focus on the ‘Saint’ in St. B,” Gary added. “Everyone is there reaching out to you and holding your hand in so many ways.”