October 28, 2025

A Gift from the Heart, for the Hearts of Hamiltonians

Retired cardiologist Dr. Hirawan Tihal and his wife Germana make a $2 million donation to advance and expand cardiac care at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.

Dr. Hirawan Tihal was born and grew up in Guyana, South America. His father was a farmer, who, rather than urging his son to follow in his footsteps, encouraged Hirawan to pursue higher education — to follow a path towards a life less reliant on the whims of the weather each growing season. That advice would shape Hirawan’s life.

Hirawan left Guyana to study at McMaster University in 1968. Three years later, he was a member of the third graduating class from the university’s recently established School of Medicine. It was at McMaster that he met Germana, a fine arts undergraduate student who had also come to study in Hamilton from Macau, China. The two became inseparable and were married in 1974 just as Hirawan was beginning his medical internship at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.

“My first instinct after learning from mentors like Sister Joan O’Sullivan and Dr. William Goldberg was to pursue a career in general internal medicine. Then by chance, I met Dr. Douglas Holder — one of the first and most revered cardiologists in Hamilton, and I thought ‘I want to be just like him’,” recalls Dr. Tihal.

But cardiology training wasn’t available in Hamilton at the time, so Hirawan and Germana moved to Toronto where he began a fellowship in a newly established echocardiography program at Toronto General Hospital. One day, while on the job, Hirawan received a call from Dr. John Robinson, the head of Cardiology at Hamilton General Hospital. Dr. Robinson had been learning how beneficial echocardiography was to cardiac monitoring and care and was keen to set up a lab at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. But he needed some help and Hirawan was just the man for the job.

In 1980, the couple moved back to Hamilton — settling first in Stoney Creek, then moving to a home near St. Joseph’s Hospital so that Hirawan had just a five-minute walk to the hospital where he was spending so much of his days. Hirawan had joined a team of physicians, biostatisticians and cardiologists fondly known as “the five wise men”: Arnold Johnson, Ernie Fallen, Paul Tanser, John Cairns and Douglas Holder. He began practicing and soon headed up one of the city’s busiest electro-diagnostic services labs.

“My first cardiology practice was located in the Fontbonne Building at St. Joe’s, and later we moved across the street to 25 Charlton Avenue,” says Dr. Tihal when reminiscing back on his 40-year career. “I was planning to retire at 65. Then 65 became 70 because by then, I had been caring for some of my patients for decades. They were people I had come to know and care about.”

After raising their two children, Germana worked as Hirawan’s office manager when he moved into private practice and says that his retirement took longer than planned because many of his patients simply weren’t ready to leave his care.

“Hirawan always took the time to sit with his patients, to listen to their concerns or their fears. Doctor visits are often so short and can feel rushed these days. But a little extra time can make all the difference and it’s something he was always willing to give,” she says.

Hirawan is now seven years into his retirement, but he says he still gets asked for advice now and then by his friends, neighbours and loved ones. “I’m always quick to remind them to take this advice with caution since I’m no longer practicing,” he says with a smile.

Recently, Hirawan and Germana made a $2 million donation to St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation to advance cardiology care at the Hospital. The donation will revitalize the cardiology unit at the Charlton Campus and help to establish a new cardiology clinic at the King Campus — improving access and reducing wait times for cardiology referrals across the city.

Hirawan says that prevention is key to continuing the downward trend of heart disease in Canada. “Teaching the value of a healthy lifestyle, of exercise and nutrition can help to stave off so many heart issues,” he says. “Change like that takes time, and genetics play a role in heart health, too. I’m proud to be a part of making sure St. Joe’s has the space, the equipment and the technology needed to care for cardiology patients for decades more to come.”

When asked what inspired the donation, Hirawan reflects on another of his father’s life lessons. “While he discouraged me from following in his farming footsteps, I’ll never forget witnessing how much he and my mother gave to help others, even when our family had so little. I hope they would be proud to see that I’m carrying on their legacy of giving back to my community and to the patients served by St. Joe’s. And I hope that some of my colleagues may be inspired to consider supporting the Hospital that gave us so much — our careers, our friends, our livelihood, and our purpose.”

In recognition of this donation, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and its Foundation are pleased to announce the naming of the Dr. Hirawan Tihal & Family Cardiology Clinic at the Charlton Campus.