The Entire team of The Universal News Network (www.theunn.com) is shocked to learn about the sudden death of Dr. Ramesh Kumar, son of D. Narendra Kumar, our close friend and supporter. We are saddened at the great loss and want to offer our prayers and condolences to Dr. Narendra Kumar and his family.
The Indian American doctor was the son of Narendra Kumar, former president of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, and Meenakshi ‘Minni’ Kumar. He also leaves behind his sister, Sarada Das.
Dr. Ramesh Kumar was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Detroit late evening on May 4. Kumar, 32, who worked in the Urology Department of the Henry Ford Hospital, was found dead on the passenger seat of a car in a rest area, some 90 miles from Detroit, Michigan.
Police are investigating the case to ascertain the cause of his death. The family members of Kumar say they do not suspect anyone and have ruled out the possibility of it being an incident of hate crime. “We do not know (the reason for his murder). They (The police) are yet to find out,” his father Narendra Kumar, a former president of the influential American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, told the media.
“We do not suspect anything. We do not think it was a hate crime,” said a shocked Dr. Narendra Kumar. Ramesh was a medical graduate from the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences in Kochi. When he did not show up for his work, a hospital doctor called his father to enquire about him “This was quite unusual,” the father said.
He said he made several phone calls and sent text messages to his son, but there was no response. The father went to his son’s apartment and called the police when he did not find him there. After hours of search, police found the dead body of Ramesh in the passenger seat of a car at a rest area.
By late night on May 4, the body was identified as that of Ramesh.
Kumar said he spoke to his son the night before he was found dead. “He told me he had done six operations all by himself and that his mentor had told him his surgical skills were far superior to his level of residency,” said the heart-broken father.
“He told me, ‘Daddy, I know where I got those skills from,’” said Kumar, who is an ear, nose and throat specialist in Saginaw. “Ramesh told me he loved urology,” Kumar told India-West, adding: “He had such a magnetic personality: he drew so many people to him.”
Kumar noted that the chairman of the urology department at Henry Ford Hospital spoke at his son’s memorial service to say he had never come across such a promising resident: the “star” of his department.
Kumar’s family held a memorial service May 6 for the young doctor, who was training to become a urological surgeon. A smaller service was held at the family’s home May 7 in Saginaw, Michigan, where Ramesh grew up. Kumar was cremated May 8.
Kumar’s sister, Sarada Das, has set up a charitable foundation in her brother’s memory, gathering funds on the crowdsourcing platform youcaring.com, Dr. Ramesh Kumar Charitable Foundation. As of May 10, Das had raised more than $21,000 in two days.
Friends and associates poured in tributes to Kumar on the page: http://bit.ly/2qsLeay
Kya Russell, a registered nurse at Henry Ford Hospital, wrote: “I’ve worked alongside him for a few years in the recovery area of HFH and I’m so deeply saddened by Ramesh’s passing; we all really are. He has such an infectious personality and a smile that radiated such warmth.”
Sherrie Corbin, also a registered nurse who worked alongside Kumar in the operating room, wrote that she was heartbroken to hear of her friend’s death.
“His smile would light up the hallway and his personality made you enjoy his presence. His bedside manner with the patients made you warm inside to see him working,” said Corbin.
Educator Suzanne Murphy wrote: “From the time Ramesh was in my 5th grade classroom, I knew his dream of becoming a physician. He achieved this dream and is remembered as bright shining star.”