{"id":73670,"date":"2022-09-14T12:22:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-14T16:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/?p=73670"},"modified":"2022-10-03T13:03:01","modified_gmt":"2022-10-03T17:03:01","slug":"former-patient-seeks-out-the-man-behind-the-voice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/healthy-tomorrows\/former-patient-seeks-out-the-man-behind-the-voice\/","title":{"rendered":"Former patient seeks out the man behind \u201cthe voice\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>For patients undergoing treatment or receiving care, comfort can come from the most unexpected places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This was certainly the case for Gary Davis, who was diagnosed five years ago with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), a rare and aggressive form of blood cancer. At one point during treatment, the doctors didn\u2019t think he would make it through the night. Thanks to the leukemia specialists at The Ottawa Hospital, he pulled through and is now living cancer free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ever since, Gary has attended regular follow-ups. Before each visit, he receives an automated phone call from The Ottawa Hospital reminding him of his appointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Every call has the same deep, welcoming voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen I first started to hear this voice, I was in a very vulnerable period in my life,\u201d explains Gary. \u201cThere was something in his tone and manner that infused me with comfort, so I loved it when he would \u2018call\u2019 me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even though the voice on the other end of the line is pre-recorded, something about it resonated with Gary\u2014so much so that eventually he felt the need to solve the mystery of \u201cwho is this man?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Gary-Davis-The-Ottawa-Hospital.jpg\" alt=\"Gary Davis\" class=\"wp-image-73643\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Gary-Davis-The-Ottawa-Hospital.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Gary-Davis-The-Ottawa-Hospital-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Gary-Davis-The-Ottawa-Hospital-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Gary-Davis-The-Ottawa-Hospital-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><figcaption>Over the past five years, former patient Gary Davis has found great comfort in the voice that he hears on our telephone recordings.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If you know, you know: The Ottawa Hospital\u2019s \u201cvoice\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have ever called the hospital\u2019s main phone line, you will be familiar with the smooth baritone greeting, \u201cWelcome to The Ottawa Hospital.\u201d For many patients, this voice is their first point of contact with the hospital. For patients like Gary, it has been a constant companion since his diagnosis, providing regular reminders for upcoming appointments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Curious about the identity of this stranger, Gary started to investigate. He soon came to learn that the person on the other end of the phone recording is actually a staff member at The Ottawa Hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Listen to The Ottawa Hospital\u2019s \u201cvoice\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Greeting_Welcome_to_The_Ottawa_Hospital.wav\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">After five years, the mystery is finally solved<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Pierre Charbonneau is a technical systems analyst who has been with the Civic Campus since 1995. \u201cI\u2019m a telephone technician who happens to do voice recordings,\u201d Pierre says with genuine humility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat I do with my voice is thought out and on purpose,\u201d says Pierre. \u201cI do change my voice. I have a certain posture and a smile I put on when I\u2019m recording.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pierre\u2019s voice has been part of The Ottawa Hospital\u2019s telephone system for 25 years. When he was first asked to take on this important role, he was already well prepared, having worked part time as a disc jockey at parties and weddings since the age of 12.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though Pierre\u2019s smooth baritone is the result of years of practice, he never really knew the kind of comfort it brought to some patients\u2013that is, not until recently, when Gary reached out and asked to meet the man behind the voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Pierre-Charbonneau-The-Ottawa-Hospital.jpg\" alt=\"Pierre Charbonneau\" class=\"wp-image-73645\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Pierre-Charbonneau-The-Ottawa-Hospital.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Pierre-Charbonneau-The-Ottawa-Hospital-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Pierre-Charbonneau-The-Ottawa-Hospital-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Pierre-Charbonneau-The-Ottawa-Hospital-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><figcaption>Technical systems analyst Pierre Charbonneau has been the voice of The Ottawa Hospital for the past 25 years. Pierre was touched to learn that he had made such a positive impact on Gary\u2019s patient experience.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Face to face with the man behind the voice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As the old adage goes, you should never meet your favourite rock star because they might let you down. We can confirm that this was not the case for Gary, who got the chance to meet Pierre in the spring of 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI wasn\u2019t apprehensive on my way over to see you,\u201d Gary says to Pierre, \u201cbut I wondered what this was going to be like. It isn\u2019t with everybody that I feel as at ease as I did with you. You had a mask and visor on, and even as we were walking upstairs, I thought, \u2018I don\u2019t feel awkward.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sitting in Pierre\u2019s office at the Civic Campus, the two chatted for nearly two hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe just hit it off,\u201d recalls Pierre. \u201cI was more than happy to chat with Gary and build this rapport with him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere is some innate profound kindness in Pierre as a person that allows him to bring out what I hear,\u201d explains Gary. \u201cThat kindness isn\u2019t something that can be manufactured. There is kindness in his whole being, and I think that\u2019s what I relate to. And when I met him, I saw it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though Pierre is approaching retirement, he has no plans to retire his voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI will keep doing this as long as they let me,\u201d says Pierre. \u201cIf it\u2019s a small part, it\u2019s a small part of the bigger picture that Gary went through.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pierre\u2019s voice is now getting airtime outside of The Ottawa Hospital\u2026 If you ever call Gary and reach his voicemail, you will be greeted by Pierre\u2019s smooth baritone!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>During a vulnerable time in his recovery from leukemia, Gary Davis found comfort in the most unexpected place\u2014the voice on our recorded telephone system. Five years later, he set out on a mission to find and meet the person on the other end of the line.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":73639,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[433,480,381],"class_list":["post-73670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-tomorrows","tag-celebrate-our-staff","tag-compassion","tag-patient-experience"],"acf":[],"wps_subtitle":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73670"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73670\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}