The letters still reach him. Some come from former patients who have become doctors. Others tell of achievements in business and lives taking shape in ways that once seemed uncertain.
For retired heart surgeon Asif Hasan, these are the rewards of a career spent caring for children with complex heart conditions: learning what happened after they left hospital, and discovering who they grew up to become.
Accepting a Lifetime Achievement Award at The Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards with P&O Cruises last night, a tearful Mr Hasan spoke about the ambition that had guided his work.
“What I always wanted was not to just survive, but to thrive,” he said.
He acknowledged the complexity of heart surgery and the lasting difficulties some patients can face, even when an operation saves their life. Survival mattered profoundly, but so did the life that followed.
“I get letters from people who have become doctors, people who have done amazing things in business and in all sorts of spheres of life,” he said.
“That’s a real life-affirming experience.”
The ceremony, which will air on ITV and ITVX on 22 October, recognised a career whose impact reaches across thousands of families and generations of surgeons.
For one of those families, his legacy can be traced through the years between two operations.
The first time Seb Hollingsworth needed Mr Hasan, he was four months old. The second time, he was 13, old enough to ask questions about the surgery ahead, and to need honest answers.
Between those encounters lay a childhood that life-saving heart surgery had helped make possible.
Seb was diagnosed shortly after his birth in 2009 with Tetralogy of Fallot, a serious congenital heart defect. After a series of dangerous “blue spells”, he underwent open-heart surgery under Mr Hasan’s care at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital.
His mother, Nadine, remembers the fear of those early months — and the reassurance offered by the surgeon entrusted with her baby.
“Those early months were incredibly frightening, but Asif always had such a calm and reassuring presence,” she said.
“He explained everything clearly and gave us complete confidence that Seb was in the best possible hands.”
After six weeks in hospital, Seb recovered and went on to enjoy a full and active childhood.
When he needed further open-heart surgery at 13, the baby Mr Hasan had treated was now a young person who needed to understand what was happening to him.
“The second operation was difficult in a different way because Seb was old enough to understand what was happening and what was at stake,” Nadine said.
“Asif treated him like a young adult. He took the time to explain everything honestly, answered all his questions and involved him in conversations about his care. He was incredibly kind and generous with his time.
“As parents, we trusted him completely. He has had a huge impact on our family and we will always be grateful for everything he has done.”
Over more than three decades, Mr Hasan performed more than 4,000 open-heart operations, approximately 3,000 of them as lead surgeon. Those figures do not include the many emergency call-outs, urgent interventions and out-of-hours procedures undertaken throughout his career.
Appointed a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at the Freeman in 1995, he went on to lead its paediatric transplant programme, helping develop it into one of the largest and most respected services of its kind in the world.
His pioneering work in transplantation and mechanical heart support helped more children survive while waiting for a donor heart.
For families facing that wait, keeping a child alive until a suitable heart became available was itself an immense challenge. Mechanical support offered a bridge to transplantation, giving more children the chance to reach that next stage of treatment.
Mr Hasan helped establish Newcastle as an internationally recognised centre for children’s heart care, attracting patients and professionals from across the world. Among the children who benefited from his expertise were previous Pride of Britain winners Cissy Adamou and Max Johnson.
His influence extended beyond his own operating theatre.
He trained surgeons who now work as consultants around the world, supported the development of surgical units overseas and contributed to charity surgical camps treating children in deprived communities.
Through those colleagues, the knowledge and skills he shared continue to reach children he may never meet.
In comments about the award, Mr Hasan emphasised the collective effort behind his work.
“Caring for children with heart conditions and supporting their families has been a privilege throughout my career,” he said.
“Any success I have achieved has only been possible because of the incredible teams I have worked alongside at the Freeman Hospital over many years.
“Seeing children go on to live full and happy lives has always been the greatest reward. I am grateful to every patient, family and colleague who has been part of that journey.”
NHS chief executive Sir James Mackey described him as “compassionate, kind and respected”, praising his work saving lives and developing a world-leading paediatric transplant service.
Rob Harrison, acting chief executive at Newcastle Hospitals, called the award “a fitting recognition of an extraordinary career and an exceptional individual”.
Mr Hasan retired from clinical practice earlier this year. Yet the lives he helped protect continue to unfold, far beyond the hospital where he knew his patients.
Children grow up. Families reach milestones they once feared they might never see. Letters arrive with news of careers, ambitions and achievements.
For the surgeon who wanted his patients to thrive, each offers a glimpse of the future he worked to give them.
