160 years ago, Mother Élisabeth Bruyère -- foundress of the Sisters of Charity of Ottawa -- arrived on the shores of the Ottawa River with a vision. In 1845, she founded the first hospital in what was then called Bytown (now Ottawa). Mother Bruyère dedicated her life to caring for the sick, disabled, and the elderly. She would have been proud of how her original vision is still being pursued in what we know today as Bruyère Continuing Care, formed in 1993 with the merger of the Élisabeth Bruyère Hospital, Saint-Vincent Hospital, Saint-Louis Residence and Élisabeth Bruyère Residence.