In 1956, Lancy Yan made the news as the first Chinese graduate of the Civic Hospital School of Nursing. But that’s not where her story began, or where it ended.
In 1950, a teenaged Lancy made her way from China to Canada where her sister was working as a preacher and teacher. Lancy enrolled at Lisgar Collegiate Institute, during which time she interpreted sermons into Chinese and worked in restaurants on the weekend to save money and pay rent.
Lancy had wanted to study medicine, but she was still learning English and didn’t have the funds, so when she graduated high school in Ottawa, Lancy and her best friend both enrolled in the Civic Hospital School of Nursing.
She remembers her years at the school fondly. The teachers and other students were friendly and helpful, the food was excellent, and she thrived living and working at the hospital. She fondly recollects having the chance to care for her vice-principal from Lisgar, saying, “I could return some of his kindness and try and look after him.”
In addition to being the first Chinese nursing graduate, Lancy also received an award for “best all-round nurse.” She then moved to Montreal to obtain a graduate diploma in teaching and supervision at McGill and met and married a medical student, Thomas Ming Swi Chang. Dr. Chang is a healthcare icon in Canada himself, having invented the world’s first artificial cell and being voted “Greatest McGillian” in 2011 in recognition of his research.
Together, Lancy and Dr. Chang built a life, welcoming four children who Lancy raised before returning to the workforce in 1980 and retiring in 1996.
Lancy’s life, from her nursing to raising her children, is defined by her characteristic modesty and generosity. “I like to help people when they are sick and down. I try to make them comfortable, do whatever I can,” says Lancy. “Patient care and patient wellbeing is very important.”
In semi-retirement, now in her 90s, Lancy stays busy volunteering for the Montreal Chinese Hospital and playing piano at her church.
