As an 8-year-old boy, Sapan Shah was trying to process his dad Surendra’s decision to open an office in Carbon County when his hematology oncology practice was thriving in the Allentown area.

The answer Sapan received stuck with him to this day.

“He said I see a lot of sick people every day and many of them are struggling,” Sapan said. “If I drive an hour once or twice a week, he added, it could greatly improve their quality of life. It might be a little difficult for me, he said, but it will help them a lot.”

On Tuesday, the local medical community had a chance to celebrate Dr. Surendra Shah’s life and career during an event hosted by Lehigh Valley Hospital-Carbon.

Shah, who passed away in April at the age of 69, treated people with cancer in the Lehigh Valley for nearly 40 years. He joined Lehigh Valley Physicians Group in 2014 after more than 30 years of private practice in Palmerton and Lehighton.

“We’re here to honor a life of dedication to patient care,” said Dr. Suresh Nair, Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute physician in chief. “The two things that stood out to me were his humility and his kindness. He would be equally as helpful to our residents, fellows and young doctors as he was to his patients.”

Shah graduated from medical school in Mumbai, India in 1976 and came to the United States with nothing more than a suitcase. For the rest of his life, Nair said, Shah was the link to modern compassionate cancer care in the Lehighton and Palmerton area.

Terry Purcell, president of LVHN’s northwest region, called Shah one of the kindest physicians he has ever had the pleasure of working with.

“Considering the types of patients he’s working with and the suffering they were going through, he did his best to make sure that each and every one felt special,” Purcell said. “The last time I saw Dr. Shah was on his last day. We said our goodbyes. We had a big hug and shared a few tears. I miss him dearly. He was a great doctor and a great friend.”

According to Sapan, Shah prided himself on serving the rural communities. He not only loved getting to know the patients, but embraced the challenge of growing healthcare in those smaller markets.

“Over the years I’ve seen cancer care in the Lehighton area flourish,” Sapan said. “It fills my heart with joy seeing this medical center here with the ability to expand and grow and carry out an integral part of my dad’s legacy and wishes of reaching patients in this area. I know he’s incredibly proud of everything here today.”

A bench, built and donated by Carbon Career and Technical Institute students, was also dedicated to Shah and placed at the hospital campus in Mahoning Township.

“It feels good to have contributed to this bench,” CCTI student Andrew Versuk said. “I’m happy we were able to do this for the doctor.”

Building the bench was a three-day process, student Brydon Gray added.

“This really helps us, as students, get our name out there and hopefully can lead to job opportunities for us in the future,” Versuk said.