A Grateful Life: David Goodman’s Legacy of Thanks to the PA Hospital
The Princess Alexandra Hospital (PA) has not only saved David Goodman’s life, it has also provided him with first-class health care on multiple occasions. For David, the decision to leave a portion of his estate to the PA Foundation was a simple yet deeply meaningful way to show his gratitude.
David’s connection with the PA began in the 1990s, when he was involved in a serious car accident. Airlifted by helicopter to the hospital, he required emergency surgery to survive.
“We had just bought a business and were working seven days a week. It was December, and I said to my wife, ‘Let’s take a break and go down the coast.’ But we never made it,” David recalls.
He arrived at the PA with a heavy blow to the head, a fractured sternum, and broken vertebrae. Surgeons operated immediately to save his life. A long recovery followed, as well as further operations on his heart.
“I had the first heart operation, but they discovered an issue with my mitral valve. They tried to repair it—I was so grateful because I didn’t want to take the blood-thinning drug Warfarin. But about 18 months later, they had to go back and operate again. They kept me going,” he says.
David, who ran industrial snack bars, eventually discharged himself during his recovery so he could return to work—what he calls "soldiering on” but he left the hospital with deep appreciation for the care he had received.
Over the years, David returned to the PA several times: once for brain surgery after experiencing a bleed likely caused by Warfarin, and again after a serious accident with an angle grinder.
“I nearly took my leg off with a nine-inch angle grinder when it kicked back. That was another operation—at the PA,” David said. “I used to jokingly tell people I had my own car park there. I've always had a really good run at the PA—the care, the staff— they’re excellent.”
In August of last year, David was diagnosed with prostate cancer and is now receiving treatment through the hospital’s Cancer Services team. He’s currently participating in a clinical trial run by the Radiation Oncology Department.
“After the biopsies, they inserted tiny gold markers—about the size of grains of rice—so they could pinpoint the radiation with 99% accuracy. It’s amazing what they can do,” David says.
With the PA playing such a central role in his life for more than three decades, David felt compelled to give back in a way that could benefit future generations.
“I figured, if it wasn’t for the PA, I wouldn’t be here,” he said. “It’s helped me so much. I told my wife; we’ve got to do something in return. If a gift in my will can support research that helps others in the future, then that’s exactly what I want to do.”
David had this photo taken following successful surgery on his leg at the PA.
