A respected physician who made a big difference in many lives has passed away.

Dr. Kim Hong passed away this week at the age of 83 after a period of illness.

He moved to Canada from China in 1950 at the age of 13 to join his grandfather at John Lee Laundry on Gower Street.

He put himself through medical school at Dalhousie University and served as a radiation oncologist for 35 years, providing cancer care to thousands of people in Newfoundland and Labrador until his retirement in 2007.

Dr. Hong was also instrumental in the development of the Newfoundland Cancer Clinic – now known at the Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Centre.

Premier Dwight Ball and Health Minister John Haggie paid tribute to the late physician this week.

Haggie called him one of the pillars of the H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Centre and “a nice guy and good doctor.”