Experience Partner Ryan Fitzgibbon gives a lot to Providence Care: his insight, his honesty, and the photographs that now brighten the hospital walls.

Two of Ryan’s photo galleries hang on the walls of Providence Care Hospital. One showcases Kingston’s historic sites on Heritage 2—the Palliative Care and Complex Medical Management Unit—and the other hangs in the main hallway on Level 1, offering a unique look at the hospital through a patient’s eyes.

“This newest gallery showcases the hospital as a living, breathing organism,” explains Ryan. “It’s a representation of hope and having a reason to move forward. It’s how I view the hospital, really, as its own entity.”

Ryan joined Providence Care’s Experience Partner program in January 2026. He is the very first active inpatient to join the program.

“Ryan brings a completely different perspective than any of the other Experience Partners I’ve worked with,” explains Providence Care Feedback and Experience Specialist Kate Callaghan. “He’s currently living as a patient, this is his day-to-day, and therefore he’s bringing ideas, advice and feedback to the organization in a completely new way.”

Ryan is a complex medical, long-term stay patient at Providence Care Hospital currently focusing on rehabilitation and long-term recovery. In 2022, at just 42 years old, a cancer diagnosis turned his world upside down.

“I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma [cancer of plasma cells that affect bone marrow] and within 12 hours they told me I had weeks to months to live without treatment. I underwent spinal surgery, where they placed two rods and 18 screws in my back to stabilize my spine.”

Since his diagnosis, Ryan has spent long stretches in hospitals. This is his second stay at Providence Care Hospital, and he knew in addition to getting strong, he wanted it to have meaning.

“I joined the Experience Partner program because I want to give back. It was Providence Care that helped me rediscover my love for photography after my diagnosis and surgery. This place helped me realize I could still be a photographer even if it looks different now. I also wouldn’t be on the road to walking if it wasn’t for the programs and people in place here.”

Providence Care’s Experience Partner program ensures the voices of patients, clients, residents and their care partners guide decision making. Experience Partners volunteer their time on committees, councils and improvement projects, sharing their thoughts on policies, programs and day‑to‑day practices. Their input helps ensure services are designed and delivered with the patient, client, and resident at the center.

“Our Experience Partners and their feedback drives quality improvement, revealing gaps we might not see internally. They are guiding tangible, patient-centred enhancements to care in hospital, community and long-term care,” says Kate.

Ryan has recently joined Providence Care’s Inclusion Advisory Council, an organizational group designed to help make those who work, learn and receive care across the organization feel a sense of belonging.

He is also a peer facilitator for the weekly “Tea and Talk” drop-in, social hour with patients.

“Ryan’s impact with Tea and Talk is invaluable,” explains Kate. “Patients are coming out to the program because of him, because he’s so relatable and easy to talk to and he really makes the patients feel seen and heard. He’s able to take those conversations he’s having with patients back to administration and the councils and groups he’s a part of and make their voices heard in decision making.”

Ryan never imagined his life would take this turn, but he works hard to find gratitude each day and to use his health journey to inspire hope in others. A photographer by profession long before cancer entered the picture, he’s also found meaningful ways to weave that passion into his care experience—using his lens to stay grounded, creative, and connected.

“Picking my camera back up at Providence Care during my last stay rekindled my identity and purpose,” says Ryan. “I’ve come to see the role of an Experience Partner and a photographer intertwined—both are about helping people feel seen and reflecting their experiences back to them in a meaningful way.”

As Providence Care marks Experience Week —a time dedicated to recognizing and honouring the experiences of those receiving care —Ryan’s presence is a reminder of how powerful individual contributions can be.

Through his honest feedback and advocacy, Ryan is shaping care in ways that matter day‑to‑day. His willingness to share his story, connect with those around him and create art for others to enjoy is making Providence Care a place where person-centred care continues to be a priority and where hope lives permanently in the art on the walls.

Learn more about how you can join the Experience Partner program here.