November 5, 2025

Kenneth’s Kindness

A $430,000 estate gift supports St. Joe’s orthopaedic surgical robotics program

Those closest to Kenneth would describe him as a good friend and a man of his word. Kenneth Asselstine always saw important things through, whether that was dedicating 35 years of service to his job in the correctional system, coaching his baseball team from the first game of the season into the championship final, or being a generous monthly donor to St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation for the past 20 years.

Kenneth’s giving nature went beyond his monthly donations to St. Joe’s. He also supported a local food program and animal charity. Anyone who knew Kenneth could attest to the fact that he was a proud “foodie” (he was especially fond of fine Italian cuisine or a perfectly grilled steak) and a loving dog dad to two Rottweilers, Baccus and Purdy, so you could say he was supporting causes that were close to his heart.

Through his philanthropy, Kenneth wanted those in his community to have access to nutritious food, to experience the joy of the human-animal bond, and to be cared for by an exceptional healthcare system. This mindset extended into his later years when Kenneth began to make his estate plans. In 2019, he reached out to St. Joe’s Foundation to discuss his options for leaving a legacy gift. Inspired by the compassionate care he and his mother received over the years at the Hospital, Kenneth was eager to give back in a way that would help our community access the best treatments available.

After meeting with Dr. Anthony Adili, a renowned orthopaedic surgeon and the Chief Innovation Officer at St. Joe’s and learning more about the orthopaedic robotic surgery program at St. Joe’s, Kenneth decided to allocate his estate gift to support this groundbreaking work.

“When hip and knee replacements are performed robotically, patients receive smaller incisions that heal faster and reduce the chance of infection,” says Dr. Adili. “In addition, a surgical robot has the precision instruments needed to allow us to only replace the parts of the joint that are truly arthritic, leaving more healthy bone and tissue intact which results in a faster recovery and retains a more natural range of motion.”

At present, seven of the 10 robotic surgeries performed at St. Joe’s, including orthopaedic procedures such as hip and knee replacements, are not yet funded by OHIP. Yet we know that performing these procedures robotically is helping patients to heal faster and return to their lives, their families and their favourite activities quicker. And Kenneth believed that, too.

Earlier this year, Kenneth passed away peacefully at the age of 72, and he left a $430,000 legacy gift to  St. Joe’s that will help hundreds of patients to receive robotic surgery for their hip or knee replacement. A recognition plaque will be placed in an orthopaedic treatment area at St. Joe’s Charlton Campus to honour Kenneth’s memory and generosity.