“My grandmother, Jessie LaPage, was a Scottish war bride with a babe in arms when she came to Canada. In 1960, with six daughters and an adopted son to feed, her husband had an accident that left him disabled. This began Jessie’s 25+ years spent working at the Civic Hospital. Jessie was a housekeeper in the Caseroom, and if her regiment around cooking and cleaning at home were any indication, I’m sure the Caseroom was left gleaming in her wake. Grandma was always proud to say that she worked at the Civic Hospital, even long after her retirement in 1987.
Three of Jessie’s six daughters also took jobs at the Civic in the Admitting Department. Two sisters only stayed a short while, comparatively, but my aunt Linda (Corcoran) continued on in Admitting for a couple of years before moving on to run a tight ship in Surgical Day Care Admitting until she retired in 2002 after 30 years of service. She is a great storyteller, and I remember many funny stories she told about her time with doctors, patients, and coworkers.
Then there’s me. I’m the third generation of proud Civic Hospital employees. While I worked as a ‘candy striper’ many moons ago at the age of 12 (for long enough to know that my heart was too fragile for what our nurses experience), my current career path began with IT HelpDesk in 1999, just before the big Y2K. While Y2K didn’t amount to much, my time here has. I’ve had the pleasure of working in a few different front-line departments over the past 25 years, but my current role is as a Data Analyst in Facilities Management, and I couldn’t possibly love it more. I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with hundreds and hundreds of amazing staff, and I’m blessed to carry on our family heritage of being a proud member of the Civic (now The Ottawa Hospital) team.
For three generations, our family has been so profoundly affected by the Civic Hospital, and it’s been an honour. My son, who is on the autism spectrum, is currently a student but hopes to also work at The Ottawa Hospital one day, so I may not be the end of our TOH family line.
I’ve attached a picture of my ever brave and resilient grandmother, Jessie LaPage, and her family, including my aunt Linda, standing directly above her.
Cindy Carroll – Community Member and TOH staff member
