Dr. Krathik Hegde, 1971-2010: Toledo physician was committed to his family

Dr. Krathik Hegde, a physician who from childhood went with his cardiologist father on rounds, died Wednesday in Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center. He was 39.

He had a heart condition, unknown to family and friends -- even himself, longtime friend John Oswald said. Dr. Hegde was hit in the chest by his vehicle's airbag during a crash on Thanksgiving Day in South Toledo. He did not go to the hospital, but the impact "probably exacerbated or made the pre-existing heart condition a bigger issue," said Mr. Oswald, president of Appliance Center.

Dr. Hegde complained of back pain Tuesday night and became ill. He did not survive surgery the next day.

"It was quite a shock," his sister Kiran Rai said.

He delayed his medical career to care for his father, Dr. Kushala Hegde, who became ill. His father, 66, died March 29, 2006, from complications of pulmonary hypertension. Then he helped his mother as she recovered from surgery to remove a benign brain tumor.

"He was committed to helping with my Dad, and once my Dad was gone, with my Mom," his sister said. He attended the sporting events of his nephew, Samin Rai, 15, and niece, Ahalya Rai, 12.

"He decided to stay in Toledo because of the family," his sister said.

He was born Nov. 14, 1971, in Toledo and grew up in Sylvania Township. He was a 1990 graduate of St. John's Jesuit High School, where he and Mr. Oswald met. He was a 1994 graduate of Ohio State University, where the two were roommates.

"When I first met Krathik, and we were 14, he was driven to be one thing -- to be a doctor, just like his father," Mr. Oswald said. "Even as a young child, his father would take him to work with him."

His parents were from Bangalore, India, and they made sure the children visited family there at least every other summer. He returned to Bangalore after OSU and was a graduate of Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences.

He completed his internship at Mercy St. Charles Hospital, where his father was a former chief of staff.

"At 'Hello,' he was your best friend -- just a pure, pure, humble, gentle human being," Mr. Oswald said.

Surviving are his mother, Kusum, and sisters, Kiran Rai and Krupa Shetty.

Services will be at 3 p.m. Saturday in the Walker Funeral Home, where visitation will begin at noon.

The family suggests tributes to the Hindu Temple of Toledo, of which he was a member.

Contact Mark Zaborney at: mzaborney@theblade.com or 419-724-6182.