When Eunice Cardenas arrived in Canada in 2001, she was alone. An immigrant with no family in the country, she found her first job at North York General Hospital, working in a small coffee shop that once stood in the southeast wing. What she didn’t realize then was that NYGH would become much more than a workplace—it would become her second home. And, most unexpectedly, it would lead her to the love of her life.
When Eunice Cardenas arrived in Canada in 2001, she was alone. An immigrant with no family in the country, she found her first job at North York General Hospital, working in a small coffee shop that once stood in the southeast wing. What she didn’t realize then was that NYGH would become much more than a workplace—it would become her second home. And, most unexpectedly, it would lead her to the love of her life.
In May 2002, just a few months after Eunice started working at the hospital, a new employee was hired at the coffee shop. She was asked to train him and his name was Pip. When he heard that his trainer was named Eunice, he assumed she wasn’t Filipino like him. But when they met, their connection was immediate.
Their shifts overlapped, and they quickly got to know each other. At the end of their first shift together, Pip asked Eunice which bus she took home. To their astonishment, they realized they were headed to the exact same address—Eunice had just moved into a new basement apartment in Scarborough three days earlier, and Pip was living in the upper unit of the same house. Fate had quite literally placed them under the same roof.
Their coworkers quickly took notice. As Eunice’s friends at the hospital teased her about her favorite number—22—they were amazed to discover that Pip’s birthday was the 22nd. “It was meant to be,” they said, watching the pair grow closer with every shared bus ride home.
As they built their lives together, the hospital community stood behind them every step of the way. In 2003, during the SARS epidemic, Eunice and Pip took a leap of faith and got engaged. With her family back in the Philippines, Eunice had no one to walk her down the aisle—until her NYGH manager stepped forward. “I told her, ‘I’m 30 years old, I don’t need someone to walk me down,’ but my manager insisted,” Eunice recalls.
Her wedding guests? Almost entirely NYGH colleagues, who had thrown her a bridal shower and later, baby showers.
Over the years, Eunice and Pip took on new roles at the hospital. Pip worked as a dietary assistant in the Seniors’ Health Centre, while Eunice transitioned into Health Records. But NYGH didn’t just give her a job, they actively supported Eunice’s professional growth. After her second child was born, the hospital supported the advancement of Eunice’s skills and education, enabling her to obtain a certificate in Health Information Management (HIM) that would accelerate her career.
Last year, Pip and Eunice were recognized for their 20-plus years of dedicated service. Pip now works in Environmental Services department, and Eunice is a Release of Information Specialist.
Additionally, both of the couple’s daughters were born at the hospital, surrounded by the very colleagues who had supported them from the beginning. “Having my children here was such a special experience,” Eunice shares. “It felt like family. My coworkers visited me, and the support was overwhelming—especially since my family wasn’t here.”
Now, years later, their daily routine remains intertwined with NYGH. They drive to work together, enjoy morning coffee, share lunch in the cafeteria, and head home side by side—a ritual that has never changed.
As Valentine’s Day approaches, Eunice reflects on their journey with gratitude and love. “NYGH is the place that brought us together,” she says. “In Canada, this is our family.”
