The killing appeared so well-planned that at first glance many assumed it was a professional hit.

The gunman who shot dead Brian Thompson, head of one of the US’s largest health insurance companies, on a New York street before dawn lay in wait with a weapon fitted with a silencer, kept his cool as his gun jammed and made a nimble escape after ensuring that his victim had been fatally struck.

However, within hours, an intense police manhunt turned up a trail of clues and possible mistakes, suggesting that while the killer had taken care to cover his tracks, he also made amateurish missteps that may yet lead to his identification and capture.

But millions of Americans were less interested in the mechanics of what New York’s new police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, called “a premeditated, pre-planned, targeted attack” than the possible motive. Despite the fact the killer’s motive remains completely unknown, the death of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO unleashed an eruption of anger from people mistreated, or untreated, by the US’s rapacious medical industry and even a grim schadenfreude from some at Thompson’s death.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans are driven into bankruptcy every year by medical debts, with many of them losing their homes. Thousands die because insurance companies find reasons not to pay for treatment, including UnitedHealthcare, which denies about one-third of claims.

Anthony Zenkus, a lecturer at the Columbia School of Social Work, spoke for many in a post on X.

“Today, we mourn the death of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, gunned down…. wait, I’m sorry – today we mourn the deaths of the 68,000 Americans who needlessly die each year so that insurance company execs like Brian Thompson can become multimillionaires,” he wrote.

The revelation that shell casings at the scene were marked with the words “deny” and “defend” and “depose” added weight to speculation that the killer had had a vendetta against UnitedHealthcare, which earned $280bn in revenue last year insuring about 50 million people in the US. Two of the words are used by the industry in policy documents and were included in the title of a 2010 book Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It.

Thompson was in New York from UnitedHealthcare’s headquarters in Minnesota for an investor conference. The 50-year-old father of two had been appointed the company’s CEO in 2021 and was paid $10m last year after overseeing a sharp rise in profits to $16bn that some critics said came from using artificial intelligence to routinely reject claims.

His killer appears to have been well-informed about Thompson’s movements. The assailant apparently knew when his victim was likely to arrive at the New York Hilton Midtown hotel close to Central Park and which entrance he would use.

1:48 How the Brian Thompson shooting unfolded – video timeline

Surveillance footage captured the gunman outside the hotel at about 6.30am wearing a dark hooded jacket and a black mask and carrying a grey backpack as he made a phone call. Thompson is seen in a blue suit walking up to a hotel door about 15 minutes later, more than two hours before the shareholder meeting was to begin.

The gunman stepped from behind a car and raised a pistol. He fired at least twice, hitting his victim in the calf and the back. Thompson briefly continued walking before turning to face his killer and then collapsing.

The police described the attacker as “proficient in firearms” as video showed him swiftly clearing the firing mechanism of his gun when it jammed and unleashing another bullet. The assailant then walked up to Thompson as he lay slumped against a wall and raised his gun but apparently did not fire again.

The killer then crossed the road and ran into an alleyway, which took him past the Ziegfeld Ballroom and on to West 55th Street. There he jumped onto an electric bike, turned north onto Sixth Avenue and headed into Central Park, where he dumped the backpack found by officers on Friday.

The police said that after he left the park, the suspect took a cab and then a bus out of the city but have not publicly identified where it was headed.

The police rapidly uncovered a series of potential clues including a cellphone in the passageway the gunman fled along and video footage of the killer in a Starbucks close to the hotel shortly before the shooting. Detectives attempting to trace the origin of the pistol were following a lead with a Connecticut gun dealer who sold a weapon resembling the one used in the killing.

But there were also red herrings. Much was made of initial police claims that the killer had used an electric Citi Bike, which requires a credit or debit card and a phone app to rent, and is fitted with a GPS tracker. That was expected to provide vital clues. The next day, the police backed off that claim and instead focussed on whether the killer had used an unmarked electric bike that he either positioned for a getaway or stole from off the street as he fled.

By Thursday, investigators had put together an outline of the gunman’s movements before the shooting. They concluded he had arrived in New York about 10 days before the killing on a bus that had travelled from Atlanta, although it is not yet known where he boarded. He then stayed at a hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, using a fake New Jersey ID to check in and sharing a room with two strangers for at least part of the time.

One of the most significant finds was of surveillance footage of the gunman at the hostel after he pulled his mask down, reportedly in a brief flirtation with a female employee, leading to the possibility he will be recognised by someone who knows him or identified by facial recognition technology. The man, who appears to be relatively young, is seen smiling in one picture and looking more serious in another.

On Friday, officials said investigators had also found DNA evidence that has been sent for testing.

There was less information about the killer’s motives but that did not stop a flood of conjecture, much of it premised on bitter experience at the hands of the medical insurance industry.

Thompson was separated from his wife, Paulette, who fueled the speculation that he had been shot by someone with a grudge against UnitedHealthcare in her initial reaction to NBC News. “There had been some threats. Basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage? I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him,” she said.

That there was plenty of public anger at UnitedHealthcare was not a secret.

Earlier this year, protesters from across the country rallied outside the company’s headquarters in Minnesota over its refusal to pay about one-third of claims, according to research by ValuePenguin, more than any other health insurer.

Regulators and politicians have accused the company of boosting profits by systematically rejecting care to which people are entitled under their policies or of refusing to meet the full cost and leaving patients in debt.

In October, a US Senate committee released a report cataloging how UnitedHealthcare and other companies deny patients care after they have been discharged from hospital following acute operations, even when doctors say they are necessary for a full recovery. The report said that the denials were principally made to drive up profits.

The day before Thompson was killed, the American Society of Anesthesiologists issued a statement condemning another health insurance company, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, for imposing a limit on the amount of time for which it was prepared to pay for patients having surgery to receive anaesthesia. The company reversed its position after the shooting.

But Thompson’s death unleashed something more visceral from people who feel helpless in the face of giant medical corporations with the power of life or death.

A woman on TikTok relayed her own experience at the hands of UnitedHealthcare when she was nine months pregnant and at a hospital with a one-year-old baby who had just been diagnosed with “a giant brain tumour”. The woman said the child required emergency surgery at a nearby hospital in a neighbouring state.

“We sat in the hospital for three days because UnitedHealthcare refused to approve the transfer via ambulance from the hospital where we live to another state. And at that point, I was ready to just get in my car and take her there myself. But UnitedHealthcare told us if we left the hospital by our own will, and it wasn’t via ambulance, they were not going to cover her at the next hospital we went to,” she said.

“I vividly remember being on the phone with UnitedHealthcare for days and days, nine months pregnant, about to give birth alone, while my other baby was sitting in a hospital room. And, again, this isn’t to condone violence whatsoever. All I’m saying is that I do not doubt for a second what the motive of that suspect was.”

Others quoted Woody Guthrie: “Some rob you with a six-gun, some with a fountain pen.”

The backlash came not only from patients but doctors who recounted UnitedHealthcare refusing to pay for a child with cancer to receive medicines for the side effects of chemotherapy and questioning the necessity of lifesaving care. The outpouring of anger from within the medical profession at Thompson as representative of the greed of the insurance industry at the cost of lives caused Reddit moderators to delete a thread for the medical community, according to the Daily Beast.

The health insurance industry is only one part of a medical system that the Princeton economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton, who won the 2015 Nobel prize for economics, have described as a “Sheriff of Nottingham redistribution” in the fleecing of ordinary Americans to give to rich corporations.

The pair published a study four years ago, Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism, that concluded the US health industry is killing staggering numbers of patients while making Americans poorer.

“The American healthcare system is a leading example of an institution that, under political protection, redistributes income upwards to hospitals, physicians, device-makers, and pharmaceutical companies while delivering among the worst health outcomes of any rich country,” the economists wrote.

As the medical industry has grown more rapacious, charging more for operations and prescription drugs, so insurance premiums have surged and patients been required to make ever larger out-of-pocket payments that can amount to thousands of dollars a year. Or they find their claims denied.

If the killer is caught, and his motive is as many Americans imagine it to be, his trial could prove to be yet another divide in an already fractured nation. Even if the killer was not motivated by that anger, the outpouring of public rage against the healthcare industry should serve as some kind of warning for its leaders.

Everybody needs healthcare — or will, at some point. And, when there’s something everyone needs, there’s a huge opportunity for investors. About $9.8 trillion is spent on healthcare globally. Half of that amount — around $4.9 trillion — is spent in the U.S. With the healthcare sector growing significantly faster than the overall economy, the numbers will almost certainly be much larger by the end of the decade.

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How can investors profit from this growth? Here’s what you need to know about investing in healthcare stocks. Types of healthcare stocks Different types of healthcare stocks The healthcare sector is so broad that there are several different kinds of healthcare stocks. Four of the most important types are: Drug stocks: Drugmakers focus on developing drugs that treat or prevent diseases. Biotech companies use live organisms such as bacteria or enzymes to develop drugs, while pharmaceutical companies use chemicals. Drug stocks range from huge companies with billions of dollars in sales each year to small biotech firms with no products on the market yet. Medical device stocks: Medical device companies make devices used to care for patients. The devices range from disposable gloves and thermometers to artificial heart valves and robotic surgical systems. Medical device stocks include many health tech stocks, as well as medical equipment stocks. Payer stocks: Payers, including health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), play an especially important role in the U.S. healthcare system. Insurers charge premiums to individuals and employers to pay for healthcare costs, while PBMs administer prescription drug benefits for employers and health plans. Healthcare provider stocks: Healthcare providers stand at the front lines, delivering healthcare services to patients. They include hospitals, physician practices, home health companies, and long-term care facilities.

Top healthcare stocks Top healthcare stocks to buy in 2025 Strong companies can be found within each type of healthcare stock. We’ll break down at least one example of each with a look at Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX 1.45%), Intuitive Surgical (ISRG -0.51%), TransMedics Group (TMDX -8.99%), UnitedHealth Group (UNH -0.64%), and HCA Healthcare (HCA 1.13%). Vertex Pharmaceuticals stands out as one of the top biotech stocks on the market. The company primarily focuses on developing drugs that treat the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis (CF), a rare genetic disease that damages the lungs and other organs. Vertex has also expanded beyond CF with gene-editing therapy Casgevy (a one-time treatment for the rare blood disorders sickle cell disease and transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia) and acute pain therapy suzetregine.

stands out as one of the top biotech stocks on the market. The company primarily focuses on developing drugs that treat the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis (CF), a rare genetic disease that damages the lungs and other organs. Vertex has also expanded beyond CF with gene-editing therapy Casgevy (a one-time treatment for the rare blood disorders sickle cell disease and transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia) and acute pain therapy suzetregine. Intuitive Surgical is a great example of a medical device stock that also falls into the category of surgical stocks. The company’s Da Vinci robotic surgical system has been used in more than 16 million procedures since its 1999 introduction. Intuitive Surgical also markets Ion, a robotic system for minimally invasive peripheral lung biopsy. Over the long run, the company should have tremendous growth opportunities ahead with an aging population requiring the types of surgical procedures for which Da Vinci is frequently used.

is a great example of a medical device stock that also falls into the category of surgical stocks. The company’s Da Vinci robotic surgical system has been used in more than 16 million procedures since its 1999 introduction. Intuitive Surgical also markets Ion, a robotic system for minimally invasive peripheral lung biopsy. Over the long run, the company should have tremendous growth opportunities ahead with an aging population requiring the types of surgical procedures for which Da Vinci is frequently used. TransMedics Group developed and sells the Organ Care System (OCS), a system for transporting lungs, hearts, and livers intended for transplantation. OCS replicates the human body in many ways, keeping donated organs alive until they can be transplanted. TransMedics also created a National OCS Program (NOP) that provides end-to-end services related to organ transplantation, including air transportation. The company has a major growth opportunity in disrupting the organ transplant market.

developed and sells the Organ Care System (OCS), a system for transporting lungs, hearts, and livers intended for transplantation. OCS replicates the human body in many ways, keeping donated organs alive until they can be transplanted. TransMedics also created a National OCS Program (NOP) that provides end-to-end services related to organ transplantation, including air transportation. The company has a major growth opportunity in disrupting the organ transplant market. UnitedHealth Group ranks as the largest commercial health insurer in the U.S. It also operates one of the biggest PBMs and is a leader in healthcare delivery services. The company’s size, stability, and dividend make UnitedHealth Group one of the most attractive payer stocks on the market. UnitedHealth Group has also expanded its presence in the healthcare provider market with its 2023 acquisition of home health services provider LHC Group.

ranks as the largest commercial health insurer in the U.S. It also operates one of the biggest PBMs and is a leader in healthcare delivery services. The company’s size, stability, and dividend make UnitedHealth Group one of the most attractive payer stocks on the market. UnitedHealth Group has also expanded its presence in the healthcare provider market with its 2023 acquisition of home health services provider LHC Group. HCA Healthcare owns and operates 187 hospitals and around 2,400 outpatient facilities including surgery centers, physician clinics, freestanding emergency rooms, and urgent care centers. It’s the largest health system operator in the U.S. HCA also operates healthcare facilities in the United Kingdom. The company continues to grow, in large part, by making acquisitions.

What to look for What to look for in healthcare stocks How do you find the absolute best healthcare stocks to buy? There are four key things to look for: 1. Growth prospects The most important thing you’ll want to check out with any healthcare stock is the company’s growth prospects. Determine how quickly revenue has grown in recent years. The future doesn’t always mirror the past. However, if a company hasn’t been able to deliver strong revenue growth so far, it probably won’t in the future. Read the investor presentations on companies’ websites to learn their strategies for growth and the size of their potential markets. Check out the companies’ rivals to see if their strategies seem to be as good or better. Note that companies will often mention specific competitors by name in their 10-K annual regulatory filings to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Don’t overlook the possibility that mergers and acquisitions (M&A) could boost a company’s growth prospects. Companies that have grown through M&A in the past could be looking for new deals to make in the future. Keep in mind that deals don’t necessarily include an outright purchase of another company. Larger companies sometimes collaborate with smaller players instead of buying them. For example, Vertex Pharmaceuticals teamed up with small biotech CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP 2.87%). The two companies won U.S. regulatory approvals for gene-editing therapy Casgevy in treating sickle cell disease in December 2023 and for treating transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia in January 2024. They’re also working together to develop therapies targeting type 1 diabetes. 2. Financial strength The SEC filings also include statements that can help evaluate the financial strength of a company. Ideally, a company will already be profitable. If it isn’t, make sure you learn how it plans to achieve profitability and how quickly it expects to do so. A company’s cash position includes cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments. It can be found on the balance sheet (a financial statement that lists all the company’s assets, liabilities, and shareholder equity) in the company’s annual and quarterly regulatory filings. Think about cash position the same way you’d think about the amount of money in your checking, savings, and retirement accounts: The more, the better. Another important gauge of financial strength is the free cash flow (FCF) generated by a company. FCF is the cash left over after operating expenses and capital expenditures (which includes money spent on buildings, equipment, and land). As with the cash position, the higher a company’s FCF, the stronger its financial position.

Your dollars and mine, our capital, is helping shape the world. David Gardner, co-founder, The Motley Fool

3. Valuation You’d want to know how much a new car is worth before buying it. Determining the value of a healthcare stock before buying it is also important so you can make sure you’re paying a fair price. There are quite a few valuation metrics. The price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is the most popular and measures the price of a stock in relation to its earnings per share, or what you get in earnings for every dollar you invest. Some P/E ratios are backward-looking, or reflecting earnings from a previous period (typically the past 12 months). Forward P/E ratios, which use earnings estimates for one year into the future, can be more helpful in assessing the valuation of fast-growing healthcare stocks. Comparing P/E ratios with other stocks in the same industry will help you determine if the stock is relatively cheap or relatively expensive. Just because a stock’s P/E ratio is higher than those of its peers doesn’t mean it’s a good or bad buy. It could indicate that the company’s growth prospects are much better than those of its rivals. Be sure to also check out the stock’s price-to-earnings-to-growth (PEG) ratio, which incorporates projected earnings growth rates (typically over five years). Stocks with lower PEG ratios (especially when the ratios are less than 1) are more attractively valued than those with higher PEG ratios. 4. Dividends Some of the best healthcare stocks pay dividends — a portion of earnings that the company returns to shareholders. Dividends can boost the overall return you receive from owning a stock. The dividend yield tells you how large a stock’s annual dividend payments are as a percentage of the current share price. Consider the stock’s payout ratio, which measures dividends as a percentage of earnings and indicates how much of the company’s cash is being used to cover the dividend. The lower the payout ratio, the greater the likelihood that the company will be able to keep paying dividends in the future.

Risks What are the risks of investing in healthcare stocks? Investing in any kind of stock comes with risks, including the possibility that competitors will develop more successful products and services. Healthcare stocks face these risks, as well as others that are more unique to the sector. Healthcare is highly regulated. Drugmakers and medical device makers can fail to secure the necessary regulatory approvals to market new products. Regulatory changes can drastically alter a healthcare stock’s growth prospects. In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees the regulation of drugs and medical devices. It’s smart to pay attention to any FDA action related to medical stocks you’re watching. Many healthcare stocks also face significant litigation risk. For example, biopharmaceutical companies, medical device makers, and healthcare providers can be sued if patients think the companies’ products and services have caused them harm. In addition, drugmakers and medical device makers must convince payers, including health insurers, PBMs, and government agencies, to buy their products. If companies aren’t successful in obtaining reimbursement approvals, their growth prospects can be reduced. Many healthcare companies are also highly dependent on Medicare reimbursement levels. Recent changes to Medicare allow the program to negotiate prices for some high-cost drugs with pharmaceutical companies. Some drugmakers’ revenues and profits could be negatively affected as Medicare pays less for certain drugs.

Related investing topics

Bottom line Healthcare stocks should have healthy returns Despite these risks, the overall outlook for healthcare stocks appears very good over the long term. Aging demographic trends around the world, combined with advances in technology, should open up tremendous opportunities for healthcare stocks — and provide healthy returns for patient investors.

FAQs

FAQs What are the best healthcare stocks to buy now? angle-down angle-up Many healthcare stocks are good alternatives for investors to buy now. Some top candidates representing various areas of the healthcare sector include Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Intuitive Surgical, TransMedics Group, UnitedHealth Group, and HCA Healthcare. Is it smart to invest in healthcare? angle-down angle-up While investors must decide for themselves whether any sector is a good fit for them, healthcare could be a smart area in which to invest for many. Healthcare spending is growing faster than the U.S. GDP as the population ages. This should create significant opportunities for innovative healthcare companies. Do healthcare stocks do well in a recession? angle-down angle-up Many healthcare stocks perform relatively well during a recession. Healthcare products and services are usually needed regardless of economic conditions. However, some healthcare stocks might be more affected by recessions than others.

Recently, a team of surgeons at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford made history when they removed a two-year-old’s deep-buried brain tumor from the root, making their patient the youngest ever to receive such a surgery.

After planning the delicate surgery with virtual reality programs and hours of practice, the team, led by pediatric neurosurgeon Gerald Grant, MD, used endoscopic tools to take the tumor out through the patient’s nose. The surgery spared Ari Ellman from serious side effects associated with other treatments.

In August 2018, after experiencing uncontrolled vomiting and a seizure, Ari was diagnosed with a craniopharyngioma near the base of his brain. The tumor was not cancerous, meaning it could not spread to other locations. But it was growing quickly and endangering several key brain structures, including Ari’s hypothalamus, pituitary stalk, visual pathways and important blood vessels.

A 16-hour surgery, the first of its kind, removed a life-threatening tumor from the brain of Ari Ellman.

The standard options for treating these tumors — brain radiation and open surgery from the top of the brain — could have severe side effects. But an endonasal removal had never been tried in a child younger than 5.

A story on the Stanford Children’s website explains how the team planned the unusual surgery:

Preparations for Ari began long before the surgery. An MRI-and-CT-scan-derived image of Ari’s brain was loaded into a new 3-D virtual reality tool called Surgical Theater, allowing the team to map, rehearse, and perfect an approach that would maximize the amount of tumor removed while protecting critical structures… A resin model of Ari’s skull base was also 3-D printed, on which realistic approaches could be tested and further rehearsed. ‘A 2-year-old’s sinuses are only 15 to 20 mm wide, or narrower. And you’re removing a tumor that may be wider than the nasal passage,’ says Peter Hwang, MD, the ENT surgeon on the team and an expert in endoscopy. ‘It’s like getting a ship out of a bottle; you have to figure out how to take it apart and bring it out through this very narrow corridor. That’s why these additional technologies can play such an important role in pediatric skull base surgery in particular.’

Ari and his mom, Na’ama, in the hospital.

Fortunately, the plan devised by Grant, Hwang and skull-base surgeon Juan Carlos Fernandez-Miranda, MD, worked perfectly. On the evening of February 8, after 16 hours of surgery, Ari’s tumor had been completely removed, and all of his important brain structures were undamaged.

That has allowed Ari, now 3, to return to life as a happy, playful preschooler.

Photo of Ari and his mother, Na’ama, courtesy of the Ellman family

CNN —

Most will remember Dr. James T. Goodrich as a recognized giant of neurosurgery, the most experienced neurosurgeon in the world when it came to the delicate and daunting separation of craniopagus twins, those conjoined at the head. These separations, which involve months of planning and dozens of procedures, are among the most challenging in any field of medicine. I know, because I was with him for 27 hours as he operated on Jadon and Anias McDonald and allowed CNN to document the remarkable event. Even as a neurosurgeon myself, I had never seen anything like it.

Our shared world of neurosurgery is a small one. There are just 4,600 neurosurgeons in the United States and as a result, we all cross paths at one point or another. I first met Dr. Goodrich when I was a resident, and even back then he had a Santa Claus-like beard and a constant twinkle in his eye. He had a sly grin and always looked like he knew the punchline of the joke before everyone else did. Along the way, we became close. He was a voracious reader, and could speak effortlessly about any topic I had on my mind. Given his stature as a preeminent pediatric brain surgeon, I loved watching people react when he told them he had dropped out of college at one point and became a surfer dude, as he described it. For most of us, he really was the most interesting man in the world.

That’s why it knocked the wind out of me when I heard he had died early Monday morning. I knew the novel coronavirus and the disease it causes, Covid-19, would lead to too many cruel and unfair deaths, but I just didn’t expect it so soon. I knew this virus would not discriminate based on who you are or what you do, and yet I still could not believe it would rob the life of someone who had saved so many. While I, like many others, had hoped to never know somebody who became ill or died from Covid-19, that changed with Goodrich’s death. Today, I am grieving along with our entire neurosurgery community and the countless children and families he touched.

Over the day, I heard from so many of his colleagues who described him as “a beacon,” “the heart and soul of our department,” and a “humble and truly caring man.” They spoke of his tremendous gifts as neurosurgeon, but even more of his spirit. It was the way he approached life, both professionally and personally, that was at once humbling and inspiring. He was a man who performed remarkably complex operations on little babies’ brains, but also took time to bake cookies during the holidays and hand-deliver them to nurses.

I asked him once how he even ventured to begin performing craniopagus separations – and surprisingly, his answer wasn’t one of pride or confidence.

“If I had really done my homework and looked at the literature on craniopagus twins done at the time, I would have never accepted them. Because the literature was devastating,” he told me.

Craniofacial surgeon Dr. Oren Tepper met Goodrich about a decade ago. Tepper told me that Goodrich was the very reason he came to work at Montefiore Medical Center in New York. They became surgical partners, and worked together on the 27-hour separation of the McDonald twins. And in operations like the McDonalds’ and countless others, Tepper said he knows Goodrich also never forgot the parents of the kids he was treating.

“He was the steady hand in the operating room and always the voice of stability,” Tepper said.

“He is just somebody who didn’t just dabble in anything,” Tepper said. “When he had hobbies, he was fully committed and he treated his work like that, he treated his hobbies like that. I know he treated his family and his wife like that. So he was just a such a dedicated individual.”

The hospital released a statement on Monday in which they called Goodrich a pioneer in the field of helping children with complex neurological conditions, having developed a multi-stage approach for separating craniopagus twins, like Jadon and Anias McDonald, who were fused at the brain and skull.

Anias, left, and Jadon McDonald were born conjoined at the head, something only seen in 1 out of every 2.5 million live births. They were separated in a 27-hour surgery at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center in New York in October. Krisanne Johnson/Verbatim for CNN Nicole and Christian McDonald talk with Dr. Sanjay Gupta in the family waiting area on October 13 as a team worked to separate Jadon and Anias. “When we sent them off this morning, to me, I felt at peace with it and just ready to handle what comes after,” Nicole said. Krisanne Johnson/Verbatim for CNN Dr. James Goodrich Goodrich, left, leads a surgical team as they prepared to separate the twins. “Failure is not an option,” Goodrich told the team as they got started. Krisanne Johnson/Verbatim for CNN The twins’ surgery was Goodrich’s longest craniopagus surgery. It’s meticulous, tricky and complex: A single cut too deep can lead to catastrophic bleeding. Krisanne Johnson/Verbatim for CNN Goodrich’s team worked more than 16 hours just to separate the boys, and each continued surgery individually afterward. Krisanne Johnson/Verbatim for CNN Newly separated twins Anias, left, and Jadon in surgery at the hospital. Goodrich informed the family of the successful separation at about 3 a.m. October 14. “Well, we did it,” he told them. When it was official, the room burst into spontaneous applause.

Krisanne Johnson/verbatim for CNN Jadon recovers in the pediatric intensive care unit shortly after the surgery. Krisanne Johnson/Verbatin for CNN Anias returns to his room after his head dressing was changed. Krisanne Johnson/Verbatin for CNN Jadon stretches his arms in his room within the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit. Anias rests in a nearby bed in the same room. Krissanne Johnson/Verbatim for CNN Anias, left, stares at Jadon for the first time since the surgery that separated them. Courtesy Chris Grosso Nicole McDonald, right, and her mother, Chris Grosso, with Anias in mid-November. Anias had to have his skull cap removed due to infection, but doctors say they are still pleased with his recovery. Krissanne Johnson/Verbatim for CNN Anias, left, and Jadon lie in a red wagon at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center on December 13 as they prepare for the next stage of their journey, two months after their surgery. Mark Kauzlarich for CNN The family was headed to the hospital’s banquet hall on December 13, where surgical and pediatric intensive care staff members were gathered for a farewell party. Mark Kauzlarich for CNN Dr. Oren Tepper, the twins’ lead plastic surgeon, holds a thank you gift from the McDonald family presented to him at the farewell party. Mark Kauzlarich for CNN Nicole McDonald holds Anias as his twin brother, Jadon, sleeps in the bed to the left. The twins’ older brother, Aza, watches television at the hospital from one of the boys’ beds shortly before they left for rehab. Mark Kauzlarich for CNN Jadon, left, and Anias McDonald look up at hospital staff as they leave their room at Montefiore Children’s Hospital in New York. Their older brother, Aza, proudly sits at the front of the wagon. It was mid-December and they were headed to rehab. Mark Kauzlarich for CNN Nicole McDonald pushes a stroller with Anias as her husband Christian pushes Jadon down a hallway on June 14 at Blythedale Children’s Hospital in Valhalla, New York, where the boys have been rehabilitating. Mark Kauzlarich for CNN Anias plays with a toy while laying on a mat in his room at Blythedale Children’s Hospital. Mark Kauzlarich for CNN Jadon eats small snacks and drinks from a sippy cup on his own, major progress since he first moved to rehab. Mark Kauzlarich for CNN Nicole McDonald plays with her son Anias as Christian McDonald holds Jadon on a playground outside Blythedale Children’s Hospital. Mark Kauzlarich for CNN Nicole McDonald holds Jadon while looking over discharge information on September 1, as they prepare to leave the rehab facility and head home as a family for the first time. Mark Kauzlarich for CNN Nicole McDonald takes Anias into the family’s new house for the first time with his older brother, Aza. Mark Kauzlarich for CNN Christian McDonald holds his son Anias as Nicole McDonald checks on Jadon at home with the family dogs, Taz and Tyson. Mark Kauzlarich for CNN Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart Prev Next

But to parents like Nicole McDonald, Jadon and Anias’ mom, Goodrich was a superhero.

“It’s not every day that you get to know a hero, a true hero. But I am so blessed to say that not only did I get to see Dr. Goodrich with his cape on doing the most brilliant complex surgeries that anybody could do, but I got to know him with his cape off,” she said. “I would go down to lunch in Montefiore’s cafeteria, and the lunch ladies would say, ‘Oh, we love him. He knows all of our names.’ That man was basically royalty. And yet he walked in the room and you felt equal. He listened to every word I ever said.”

Goodrich once told me that he was too busy with his work to ever have kids of his own. He said he had committed himself to taking care of the world’s kids instead, especially the ones who needed him most. He added that “after a while, those special patients become kind of like your own kids.” That’s just how close he became with families, how intertwined their lives were. He would still get Christmas cards from families 30 years after they first met. He was not just their doctor, he was a part of their lives forever.

When Goodrich operated on Jadon and Anias McDonald, he was pushing 70, but had an incredible energy that fueled him to operate nonstop through the day and night. He inspired everyone around him, and after spending time with him I resolved to never again complain of fatigue in my own life.

This week, we lost the famed doctor, with his tufts of gray hair and beard, who was known for incredible skill with his hands, but also incredible empathy with his heart. We lost the doctor known for keeping in close touch with those patients he operated on, always remembering children’s birthdays and special milestones, ones he helped make possible. We lost the wanderlust brain surgeon who traveled the world consulting and operating wherever and whenever he was called. We lost the fighter who tackled what most had thought impossible.

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“He fought with the ferocity from my family in a way that I will never ever forget. That I will forever appreciate. There will never be another James Goodrich. Not even close. He will never be matched, let alone replaced in the world,” McDonald remembers.

Dr. Goodrich spent more than 30 years at Montefiore Einstein and was the director of the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Montefiore and a professor of clinical neurological surgery, pediatrics, plastic and reconstructive surgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

He is survived by his wife, Judy, and three sisters.

Dr. Goodrich was an incredible human being, and the world is a little less bright today without him.

While we knew the losses would come, they are no less painful when they do.