Dr Philip Tideman tributes from family and former colleagues following his death
The wife of esteemed cardiologist Philip Tideman has paid a loving tribute to her husband – a man who she says had something extraordinary about him.
SA News
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The wife of esteemed cardiologist Philip Tideman has paid a loving tribute to her husband – a man who she says had something extraordinary about him.
Deborah Tideman described her husband, who died on Wednesday aged 61 after a long battle with bowel cancer, as the one constant in her life.
“We were together for 43 years. We met at a party when I was 18 and he was 21. I knew at once that I’d met a gentle spirited young man who was special,” she said.
“We met at a 21st birthday party in October, 1980 and I sensed there was something extraordinary about him. Phil was a thinker, with a love of philosophy.
“He enrolled in philosophy at the same time as he did medicine. That struck me as exceptional.”
SCROLL DOWN TO READ THE FULL STATEMENT FROM WIFE DEBORAH TIDEMAN
Mrs Tideman described the couple’s four children – Nicholas, Edwina, Charlotte and Alexander – as their “greatest joy”.
“We started our lives with nothing except our education and each other. And we came a long way together. Our happiness was completed by our four children who were our greatest joy,” she said.
“Although he worked a lifetime and half by other people’s standards and travelled not just the regions but overseas which limited our time together, hardly a day went by that we didn’t speak.
“I will miss not being able to reach for the phone and know he’ll be there for me, he was the one constant in my life; a person who loved and understood me.”
Mrs Tideman said her husband was diagnosed with stage four metastatic colon cancer in September 2021.
“... Our family’s whole life understandably shifted. It was an uncertain time for all of us,” she said.
“It has been agonising watching Phil endure chemotherapy and its side effects.
“But he doggedly refused to allow it to stop him working.”
It was during his cancer battle that Mrs Tideman said the family truly understood the Confucius adage: “We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one.”
Former colleagues of the beloved cardiologist have also paid heartwarming tribute, giving a glimpse of his impact on the medicine field.
Those who had previously worked with Dr Tideman took to social media to pay homage following his death.
Associate Professor in Medicine at Adelaide University, Rosanna Tavella said, “So sad, Dr Tideman was a great man and had done so much to improve cardiac care, especially in country SA. My condolences to his family.”
“We were so grateful for him in country and especially the SE (South-East). Nothing was ever too much trouble,” Helen Chalmers wrote.
Natalie Hincksman wrote: “A true gentleman, a pleasure to work with and with a rare level of care for people who lived rurally.”
“He made a real difference to cardiac services in our state and what we have today is a true testament to someone who put the patients first. Vale Phill Tidemann.”
Renee Davy added: “Condolences to all that knew him – he was a great doctor – his support of rural health will be missed.”
Vicki Coulls said Dr Tideman was a “such a wonderful specialist, so kind and knowledgeable.”
“An absolute pleasure to work with. A visionary who changed first line cardiac care in rural SA, improving care and survival for so many patients. Such a massive loss. My condolences to all who loved him. Vale Phil.”
“Rest in Peace. Many fond memories of ward rounds with this gentle giant,” Renae Hillier added.
“He was always so gentle and kind with a lovely bedside manner. Respected highly by staff and his patients. Condolences to his family.”
Tenneale Farrier said “very saddened to hear this news” of Dr Tideman death.
“Phil was great to work with and just an amazing Cardiologist who was very valued and respected. Sending love and condolences to his family, friends and the cardiac community.”
Many acknowledged Dr Tideman’s contribution to improving Indigenous health.
“Rest in Peace Phil, thank you for your commitment and support in improving health outcomes in Aboriginal health. We appreciate all of your support.” Ms Morey wrote.
His contribution to the state’s medical community also garnered touching tributes from prominent figures across the health sector including Health Minister Chris Picton and Mount Gambier orthopaedic surgeon Dr Barney McCusker.
He grew up in the southeast and practised in Mount Gambier as well as Adelaide, where he was based at Flinders Medical Centre.
He quickly built a strong reputation for his dedication to improving access to cardiovascular care for rural residents.
Dr Tideman discovered people from rural SA had a far lower chance of surviving a heart attack than those from metropolitan Adelaide and developed the integrated Cardiovascular Clinical Network (iCCnet) to reduce the survival gap.
As director of iCCnet, Dr Tideman led the development of a cloud-based AI platform to analyse people’s health.
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