HOW VICTOR CHANG CHANGED MEDICINE FOREVER

The heart surgeon was killed 30 years ago, but his legacy lives on

- Claire Isaac.

He was a remarkable man doing extraordinary work saving hundreds of lives with his skills as a surgeon. But Victor Chang was also a husband – to wife Ann – and a loving father of sons Matthew and Marcus and daughter Vanessa, a family who were incredibly proud of his achievements.

“He used to tell me he was just like a plumber, for humans,” Marcus Chang said in 2011. “I’m sure he would be looking down today, incredibly proud to see that his dream lives on in such a special place.”

Tragically of course, in 1991, when Dr Chang was just 54, he was killed, gunned down outside his home in Sydney’s Mosman in a botched extortion attempt.

That day the world lost an incredible medical mind, and a family lost their beloved patriarch. Now, 30 years on, July 4 is a date the family don’t want to commemorate publicly, but around the world many will pause to remember the courageous and outstanding doctor, who pioneered heart surgery in Australia and globally.

After studying in Sydney and living in London and the US, Dr Chang – already a successful and world-renowned heart surgeon – began his incredible journey at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney.

FIGHTING FOR LIVES