Couple Donates $5 Million to MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center to Fund Hybrid Operating Room

LONG BEACH, CA – Giving is second nature for Chinese-native Hing Hung. He lives his life with a “pay it forward” mentality, and because of him, the MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Long Beach Medical Center continues to be a leader in cardiac care. Hing and his wife, Doris, recently gifted the hospital $5 million, and both feel blessed to have been able to do so.

“To say we are grateful to the Hung Family would be an understatement,” said John Bishop, CEO, MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center and Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach. “Hing and Doris are exceptionally kind, generous and thoughtful people who have made this investment because they care about the health and well-being of our communities.”

Rob Gunsalus, president of the MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center Foundation noted that, “The Hung’s understand that one of the most impactful and efficient philanthropic investments you can make is with your local hospital. The fact that MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center and our MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute are highly ranked and are also models of community service only amplifies the impact of their generosity.”

Their generous gift has helped fund a new hybrid cardiovascular operating suite, which features highly advanced technology and combines the diagnostic capabilities of a catheterization laboratory with the surgical functions of an operating room.

Rodney White, M.D., medical director, Vascular Surgery, MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute, Long Beach Medical Center said, “Each day, the MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute is advancing and reshaping the future of cardiac care and advancements to bring the community the best possible vascular and cardiac care, close to home.”

Hing was born in Communist-ruled China. When he was a teenager, the government forced him to work on a labor farm during the Cultural Revolution. In 1974, when Hing was 22-years-old, he snuck away with peers and used a boat to escape to Macau.

“Patrolmen spotted us though, and we had to gut the boat and swim around the channel through the night. We knew if we got caught, we’d be sent back to the farm,” recalled Hing. “I didn’t have time to be scared, I just swam.”

Hing made it to Macau and was eventually sponsored to receive his immigrant visa to the United States. He met Doris in 1978 while they were both students at Cal Poly Pomona. Hing studied electrical engineering and went on with a colleague to be the co-founder of a business that created the technology behind badge readers at door entryways. Their company, Mercury Security Corp., has been a huge success since it opened in 1992. They sold the company in 2013, and Hing remained active with the company until 2020.

The hybrid cardiovascular operating suite that the Hung family has helped finance will allow the MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute care team to easily switch from a catheterization lab to an operating room during procedures that may need special care.

“The imaging capabilities in this room gives us the opportunity to perform the specialized transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) procedure, which is a minimally-invasive way to replace the aortic heart valve without opening the chest,” stated David Shavelle, M.D., medical director, Adult Cardiology & Interventional Lab, MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute, Long Beach Medical Center. “We will be able to continue to save lives in this room, and this room was made possible because of Hing and Doris.”

The Hung Family has a personal connection to MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center. When Doris battled breast cancer in 2005, she received her care at the hospital, and today she is cancer free. Hing’s mother also fought ovarian cancer and received chemotherapy treatment at Long Beach Medical Center.

The Hung Family’s previous major gifts have gone towards the building of the Cherese Mari Laulhere Children’s Village at MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach, a consultation room at the MemorialCare Todd Cancer Institute, and the renovation of a catherization laboratory at the MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute.

“Hing and Doris truly care about ensuring our hospital is equipped with state-of-the-art technology that will help patients for decades to come,” said Marc Sakwa, M.D., Medical Director, Adult Cardiovascular Surgery, MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute, Long Beach Medical Center. “The heart of our Heart & Vascular Institute beats strong because of donors like them. I’m thankful to work in a hospital that is vigorously supported by members of our community.”