With heavy hearts, we mourn the loss of our friend and colleague, Tony Aram, MD, of the Advanced Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine Institute division. 

He is remembered by patients and colleagues alike as a man with a magnetic personality and kind heart, a doctor who made it a point to be responsive and approachable no matter how busy he was. Dr. Aram saw medicine as his chance to change his community through personalized patient care and surgery. 

In addition to caring for patients in his own practice, Dr. Aram often traveled overseas to perform joint surgeries. He was also a dedicated volunteer with OperationWalk-Chicago, providing comprehensive and free hip and knee replacements to impoverished patients with debilitating joint diseases. 

His generosity wasn't limited to simply surgeries: Practice Manager Rudy Macaraeg remembers patients handing him bills with Dr. Aram's signature to write off the expense. 

"I went into his office and confronted him about writing off such a huge balance," he said. "He told me, 'Write it off. The patient is elderly and can't pay for it. Just write it off.' And he's done that numerous times." 

Once, he even sold his Lexus car to an employee for just $1. 

In addition to his passion for orthopaedics, Dr. Aram was an avid golfer who even had the opportunity to play with golf legend Jack Nicklaus.

Dr. Aram is survived by his wife, Thu, and four children - Mai Lan, Vi Lan, Philip and Leah. 

In Rudy's words, "He simply impacted a lot of people. Working with him was such a privilege."