TRUSKOSKI FAMILY

A lifetime of care and one meaningful leap

For Jo Anne Truskoski and her family, local healthcare has been more than a service - it’s been a story of love, care, and community, woven into every stage of their lives.

It started in 1962, when Jo Anne was born at St. Francis Memorial Hospital to parents Jack “John” and Ursula Golka.
Jack worked at the hospital as an orderly, then as a pharmacy technician, before becoming one of the founders of St. Francis Memorial Hospital’s (SFMH) ambulance service in 1971.

Throughout Jo Anne’s childhood, he’d step in whenever a shift needed coverage, often resulting in interrupted family plans. Ursula was his unwavering support system, and the two embodied a deep, shared commitment to community care.

This experience at SFMH led Jack to pursue higher education, going back to school to become a practical nurse specializing in psychiatry. He joined Kingston Psychiatric Hospital and, after working for years as a psychiatric nurse, transferred to the pharmacy.

Jo Anne had no interest in working in healthcare - until a summer job at the same hospital where her dad worked changed her perspective. She later joined a team that helped develop Toronto’s first fertility clinic, before returning to the Valley to support long-term care at facilities including the Valley Manor. 

“No matter where I went,” she said, “healthcare followed me.”

In many ways, it felt like coming full circle, supporting care systems in the same community that had shaped her life. Her professional work gave her a new perspective when it came to her own family’s experiences with care.

A Lifesaving Diagnosis

When Jo Anne’s husband Michael injured his ankle, he was assessed at a different hospital, where he was told it was only a sprain. Something didn’t feel right, so they made the drive to St. Francis. 

There, a locum physician made a decision that changed everything. She drained fluid from the ankle and stayed beyond her shift to wait for test results. The infection was septic. Jo Anne’s husband was rushed by ambulance to Ottawa, where emergency surgery was performed the very next morning.

“That outcome could have been very different,” Jo Anne says. “It was patient-focused care - real, attentive, human care - that saved his life.”

SFMH was also there through her dad’s experience with congestive heart failure. Staff worked patiently with him, helping him understand dietary changes and supporting him through repeated recoveries. Jack passed away in 2021 at the age of 84.

The next year, Jo Anne’s mother Ursula underwent an aortic valve replacement at the Heart Institute, with all her rehabilitation completed back at St. Francis. 

Cardiac rehab, follow-up care, familiar faces - it was another reminder that while larger centres may handle specialized procedures, it’s local healthcare that provides the essential first steps in healing, supporting recovery and preserving dignity.

“This hospital is a touchstone,” Jo Anne explains. “It’s the first point of contact when time matters most.”

That belief is why Jo Anne and her husband have been continuous supporters of the St. Francis Valley Healthcare Foundation (SFVHF). 

Access to quality healthcare close to home is essential for everyone. St Francis Memorial Hospital, Valley Manor, and Madawaska Valley Hospice Palliative Care work together to provide a range of inpatient, outpatient, long term, and end-of-life care.

The St. Francis Valley Healthcare Foundation serves as a bridge between generous donors and these care providers, raising funds to support essential equipment, capital projects, services and programs. Together, we ensure care is available when and where it is needed most.

For Ursula, that care made a difference she could feel, and inspired her to celebrate life in an unforgettable way.

A Big Leap for Local Healthcare

As Ursula approached her 90th birthday in 2025, she wanted to mark the occasion with gratitude and purpose. Her idea was simple and bold: she wanted to go skydiving.

Although asthma prevented her from jumping from a plane, an indoor skydiving experience offered a safe way to capture the thrill. Friends and family were invited to donate to the St. Francis Valley Healthcare Foundation in lieu of gifts.

“She loved every minute of it,” Jo Anne said. 

The experience inspired everyone who witnessed it. 

“If she can do that at 90,” Jo Anne said, “then all of us can face what comes our way.”

For Jo Anne and her family, giving back is a lifelong expression of love and gratitude. Their story reminds us that strong local healthcare doesn’t happen by chance.

It’s built, sustained, and strengthened by a community committed to caring for one another, today and always