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Victor Chang: A tribute to my father
- GenresNonfiction
213 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 26, 2026
During the late 1970s, I was honoured to be trained as one of the first intensive care ambulance paramedics in Australia. We were taught by specialist doctors from St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney — the very hospital where, ironically, Dr Victor Chang worked. Our mission was simple but daunting: take the skills of the intensive care unit out into the suburbs of Sydney and beyond, to patients fighting for their lives.
It was high-octane, relentless work — beneath cars and trains, in nightclubs and private homes, down dark alleyways, at aircraft crashes etc. Occasionally, though, we were assigned inter-hospital transfers: cases where a patient was stable and simply being moved to a more specialised facility. As an intensive care paramedic, I rarely found these jobs appealing. The urgency was gone.
One late night, my partner and I were dispatched from Rockdale Ambulance Station to Wollongong Hospital to transfer a young man to St Vincent’s. The job would take around three hours, leaving our station critically short of resources — and I wasn’t happy about it.
The young man had no neurological function. His family had made the heartbreaking decision to allow his heart to be harvested and donated to someone waiting for a transplant.
When we finally arrived at the back of St Vincent’s Hospital, we pulled into a dark, narrow laneway. We opened the ambulance doors and began to unload the stretcher. Standing there waiting for us was Dr Victor Chang himself!
As we brought the young man out, on a ventilator, Dr Chang stepped forward. He placed a gentle hand on the young man’s shoulder and, in a soft, measured voice, said:
“What a tragedy that this young man had to die so that another can live.”
In that moment, everything shifted.
It was surprising enough that any doctor would meet us in a laneway at midnight — but to be met by Dr Chang was extraordinary. His words cut through my fatigue and frustration. They reminded me that every patient has a story. And so did his family, whose world had just collapsed.
I was only in my early twenties, and standing there in that dark alleyway, I learned something I would carry forever. Dr Chang reminded me of the inherent value of every life — and the importance of looking beyond my own challenges and disappointments to truly see the human cost borne by others.
This book captures the essence of an inspirational man. But for me, his legacy lives in a quiet moment at midnight, when compassion spoke louder than reputation, and a young paramedic learned what it truly meant to care.
It was high-octane, relentless work — beneath cars and trains, in nightclubs and private homes, down dark alleyways, at aircraft crashes etc. Occasionally, though, we were assigned inter-hospital transfers: cases where a patient was stable and simply being moved to a more specialised facility. As an intensive care paramedic, I rarely found these jobs appealing. The urgency was gone.
One late night, my partner and I were dispatched from Rockdale Ambulance Station to Wollongong Hospital to transfer a young man to St Vincent’s. The job would take around three hours, leaving our station critically short of resources — and I wasn’t happy about it.
The young man had no neurological function. His family had made the heartbreaking decision to allow his heart to be harvested and donated to someone waiting for a transplant.
When we finally arrived at the back of St Vincent’s Hospital, we pulled into a dark, narrow laneway. We opened the ambulance doors and began to unload the stretcher. Standing there waiting for us was Dr Victor Chang himself!
As we brought the young man out, on a ventilator, Dr Chang stepped forward. He placed a gentle hand on the young man’s shoulder and, in a soft, measured voice, said:
“What a tragedy that this young man had to die so that another can live.”
In that moment, everything shifted.
It was surprising enough that any doctor would meet us in a laneway at midnight — but to be met by Dr Chang was extraordinary. His words cut through my fatigue and frustration. They reminded me that every patient has a story. And so did his family, whose world had just collapsed.
I was only in my early twenties, and standing there in that dark alleyway, I learned something I would carry forever. Dr Chang reminded me of the inherent value of every life — and the importance of looking beyond my own challenges and disappointments to truly see the human cost borne by others.
This book captures the essence of an inspirational man. But for me, his legacy lives in a quiet moment at midnight, when compassion spoke louder than reputation, and a young paramedic learned what it truly meant to care.
December 18, 2014
This book won't win any literary awards, but it did give some lovely insights into the character of a national treasure, who was sadly taken from his family and life's work far too young. His daughter writes simply but movingly of his larger than life character, his inventiveness as a surgeon, his total devotion to his patients along with his compassion, generosity and humility. She also lovingly points out his personal quirks and foibles as well as including many glowing tributes from colleagues, patients, members of the public and friends. Definitely worth a read.
August 7, 2011
a moving story
July 16, 2012
Very inspirational story of a brilliant doctor!
December 28, 2017
What an amazing man! This was an enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews