03/09/2026
It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the recent death of our dear friend and colleague David Wieduwilt, who dedicated so much of his life to saving and improving the lives of children through CCI’s Cardiac Programme, in partnership with Global Cardiac Alliance.
David volunteered on dozens of CCI funded Cardiac Missions for over 10 years, bringing not only his extraordinary expertise as a biomedical engineer, but also his calmness, compassion and unwavering commitment to the children and families he served.
In just one of many examples of David’s extraordinary work is Anya’s story. In 2008, two-year-old Anya was undergoing a complex heart operation to repair her condition known as ‘Chornobyl Heart’. Her tiny life depended on a dilapidated heart-lung bypass machine, its ageing pumps keeping her blood circulating while surgeons worked on her heart.
Then, in the middle of the operation, the pump failed.
David had less than 120 seconds to replace the tubing. Every second counted. Without it, Anya faced irreversible brain damage or death.
With extraordinary skill and a level head, David did what he had come to do. He fixed the machine, restored the circulation and gave Anya the chance to live. Thankfully, she recovered well from her operation. But Anya was only one of the many children whose lives he touched.
Over the years, David gave countless hours to CCI’s Cardiac Programme, through his volunteering with Global Cardiac Alliance, and was instrumental in securing an invaluable supply of medical equipment, supplies and humanitarian aid for the hospitals where CCI operated. His contribution helped ensure that doctors, nurses and medical teams had the equipment and resources they needed to continue caring for children after the CCI funded missions had departed.
His generosity, expertise and courage made a profound difference.
David leaves behind an extraordinary legacy measured not only in the medical missions he joined or the equipment he helped secure, but in the lives of children who were given a future because he chose to help.
We will remember him with enormous affection, admiration and gratitude. Our thoughts are with his beloved family and friends.
May he Rest in Peace. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis
