Dr. Hisashi Nikaidoh could write many books about how he improved existing surgical techniques and designed a new procedure that became a preferred method of care in pediatric heart surgery across the world.

But instead, the retired Children’s Health physician wrote a book about loss — and what mothers who had lost a child taught him about compassion and community.

“We practice medicine to restore people’s health when they are sick. Medicine should never be self-serving,” Dr. Nikaidoh said. “Grieving mothers have incredible resilience and many show deep gratitude for doctors and hospitals, even though their child did not make it. I look to them for wisdom to be a better doctor.

Furthering his commitment to providing care with compassion, Dr. Nikaidoh and his wife, Lynn, established the Dr. and Mrs. Hisashi Nikaidoh Endowment Fund, supporting the hospital’s Spiritual Care and Education program. He’s also included Children’s Health in his estate plans.

“Working in a children’s hospital is emotionally fulfilling. It can also be filled with sorrow. Spiritual care is about supporting everyone in their time of need,” he said. 

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Dr. Nikaidoh became Children's Health's first full-time pediatric heart surgeon in 1978 when the field was still relatively new. He and other heart surgeons took on the task of developing procedures to repair congenital heart defects, which are structural heart problems that happen when the heart doesn't form properly in the womb. This is extremely complicated because a baby's heart is only about the size of a walnut.

“It was wonderful to see our surgeries begin to save lives that just a few years before wouldn’t have had a chance,” he said. “But we were still losing too many kids. The only word to describe the loss of a child is devastating.”

Dr. Nikaidoh strives for nothing short of perfection, which makes the loss of any child even harder.

“I’m the descendent of 12 generations of Buddhist priests, and before that, 12 generations of castle-owning samurai,” Dr. Nikaidoh said. “The samurai in me strives for superior excellence. The thought of losing any patient is still very painful for me.”

But he found that the team who surrounded him – the nurses, fellow doctors and families – had an unwavering commitment to supporting each other through success and hardship. 

One week, when two patients died, the loss became too much. Dr. Nikaidoh needed time to heal. He credits a pastor from his church, a nurse and a hospital chaplain with giving him the strength to not give up.

“During that time, I felt the closeness of the Children’s Health community.  The care we provide, we do together, and that includes the families,” he said. “Over the years, my wife, who was a nurse, always offered me great support. I credit her with helping me understand the value of a service-driven life.”

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The support of the Children’s community renewed Dr. Nikaidoh’s commitment to perfection. He spent the next two decades innovating and collaborating with his Children’s Health colleagues on finding ways to improve outcomes for patients.

He introduced surgical procedures using donor arteries to fix those that were too small for blood to pass through or closed altogether. He introduced his colleagues to the Fontan operation which repairs many types of single ventricle heart defects. And he dedicated time to being with his patients, laughing with them and listening to their fears.

“An excellent surgeon should be measured on more than skill and technique. They must be measured on the care they give and the partnership with their team,” he said. 

One of his most significant contributions to pediatric surgery is a procedure that now holds his name – the Nikaidoh procedure. In 1984, Dr. Nikaidoh reported the surgery to correct a complex congenital heart defect where the heart’s two main arteries – the aorta and the pulmonary artery – were coming from the wrong pumping chambers. Many of these babies also had a hole in their heart and a narrow pulmonary valve. Today, many hospitals use the Nikaidoh procedure as the preferred surgery for babies who are born with this complex transposition.

“We have made some improvements. More children are surviving. But for a doctor, a perfect result is the only acceptable one. So the challenge continues for all of us to reduce complications and save more children,” he said.

To new doctors, Dr. Nikaidoh offers this advice – know your patients and use them as motivation to make medicine better.

“Medicine is a doctor's gift – give it generously. Let your success and legacy be defined by your colleagues and patients,” he said. “It’s an honor to give back to Children’s Health in ways that provide spiritual care and education. My hope is that Children’s will fulfill people the way it has done for me.”

In addition to pastoral care, Dr. Nikaidoh and his wife, Lynn, are avid supporters of many clinical programs around the hospital. Lynn is also a longtime member of the Women’s Auxiliary to Children’s Medical Center Dallas.