Google honored Dr. Victor Chang, a pioneer of modern cardiovascular surgery and transplantation, with a Doodle on what would have been his 87th birthday. Dr. Chang was murdered aged 54 following a botched extortion attempt. His legacy shines brightly over 30 years later: medical professionals use some of his inventions, like an artificial heart valve, to treat severe heart conditions.
Dr. Victor Chang and his wife, Ann Simmons, shared three children: Vanessa, Matthew, and Marcus
Dr. Chang and Ann Simmons met in 1966 at St. Anthony’s Hospital in North Cheam, London. He was the emergency physician on-call when she admitted herself after feeling ill at a social function. The couple had an instant connection. They married and welcomed three children: Vanessa, Matthew, and Marcus.
Ann is a board member of and an active fundraiser for the Victor Chang Foundation. She states on the foundation’s website that her goal is to help continue her late husband’s work. She says: “My husband had great ambitions for his profession and for humanity and also strived to be creative and innovative. He aimed to achieve great things in life and through this foundation. It is my honor, albeit with sadness, to help continue his work and preserve his legacy.”
Vanessa, the couple’s oldest child, described her father as someone who willingly shared knowledge. “He firmly believed that there was no benefit in keeping knowledge to oneself,” she stated, per The Standard.
“Drawing from his own experience as a migrant, Dad empathized with the challenges people faced when leaving their homelands, often without their families. His goal was to establish a supportive environment, making their[overseas trainees] transition as comfortable as possible,” Vanessa continued.