Vinh was full of life and adventurous. We heard that he was laughing and having a good time while waiting for the helicopter to rescue him. He talked about his plans for hiking in Nepal while we were in the Dominican Republic this past winter. He was excited for his next adventure because that’s how Vinh lived his life. He was often quiet in a crowd but he was more out going than most people. He had various groups of friends for his many hobbies: hiking, board games, food enthusiast, volleyball, running, etc. He was also generous. He ran 5 marathons, some of them for charity.
Susan at the US embassy in Nepal has just been amazing. She arranged for a ceremony for Vinh and another American, Tom Taplin (which this CNN article is about). It’s refreshing to know there are good people left in the world. There were 5 Americans staying at the US embassy for safety. They stood in for my wife’s family along with Susan, to support Vinh and us. I’m floored. I’m happy and sad at the same time.
Susan Dunathan, I never met you but you have no idea how tremendous your dedication to your job has meant to us.
We received the following from Vinh’s workplace.
This message is being sent on behalf of Physician in Chief Susan Smarr, MD
“We have just been informed that the tragedy in Nepal has struck close to home. One of our Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara employees, Vinh Truong, was participating in a Mt. Everest hiking trek with a tour group when the devastating 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal on Saturday. He became gravely ill and died at the hiker’s base camp.”
“Vinh Truong was a skilled senior consultant, working for The Permanente Medical Group in the Controller’s Office as well as overseeing medical systems integration in the Cardiology department. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology and his MBA in Entrepreneurship and Management from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He joined the Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara family in 2008.”
“Colleagues called him an integral player in the cardiovascular service line, an innovator who was known for thinking outside the box. He engineered from scratch many of the CV service line’s reporting tools, setting a solid foundation for his peers to build upon. He was a database administrator expert for various clinical databases used in the South Bay and offered assistance to sister programs within the Kaiser Permanente NCAL and SCAL family. As his knowledge grew, he encouraged others to grow and develop their professional skills.”
“Those who worked with him also say Vinh was a gentle, thoughtful man with an offbeat sense of humor. He was very athletic and could been seen training around the Santa Clara campus for various running races and other events. He loved to explore nature. He truly enjoyed good food, adventuring out to enjoy all the cuisines the Bay Area has to offer.”
“Vinh will be sincerely missed at Santa Clara and we are deeply saddened by this loss. Our thoughts are with Vinh’s family, friends and colleagues during this terrible time. Currently, we have no information on a planned memorial or service. For those who would like to, the family has asked that any donations be made in Vinh’s honor to American Red Cross or UNICEF for the Nepal relief efforts.”
If any of you know Susan Dunathan, please let her know that her dedication has not gone unnoticed and is very much appreciated. If any of you know Tom Taplin or Eric Poppleton, please let them know that the family of the other deceased American at the ceremony would be happy to connect with them.
Rest in peace Vinh.
https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2015/05/world/everest-friendship/
April 14, 2019
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