Christina Patow, a Hoag ICU nurse, never imagined her past in the tech world would meet her present in medicine—but that’s exactly what happened. Before she was a nurse, Christina spent 16 years at Kingston Technology, working closely with company co-founder David Sun. After a family move and the passing of her husband Mark in 2009, Christina made a life-changing decision to enter nursing. “The coroner involved with Mark’s death told me not to let his death end me, but to allow it to propel me,” she said. “That is what led me to become an ICU nurse.” 

Now caring for patients at Hoag’s Sun Family Campus in Irvine, she recently discovered that the namesake of the growing campus where she works is none other than her former boss, David Sun. After seeing an article about Hoag’s expansion, the dots were connected. 

“I quickly glanced over it thinking how awesome it was that my hospital was expanding,” Christina shared. “It never dawned on me that that Sun was the Sun that I knew and reported to and loved working for back in the early days of my working career in technology.” She saw the photo of David Sun and his wife Diana—both of whom have generously given $100 million to the Boldly Hoag campaign for the Sun Family Campus expansion—and her “worlds collided.” 

Inspired by the full-circle moment, Christina reached out to David and was invited back to Kingston Technology, where she reunited with old colleagues. “What an incredible and complete full circle moment,” she reflected. “My two careers collided in such a passionate way, and I am grateful.” 

Her story also highlights a deeper, ongoing connection between Kingston Technology and Hoag. For years, the company has generously supported scholarships for Hoag employees—investing in the professional growth of team members and reinforcing the belief that education and opportunity are key to excellent care. 

Thanks to transformational support from the Sun family through the Boldly Hoag campaign, Hoag’s Sun Family Campus in Irvine is expanding to meet the needs of patients and support the dedicated caregivers, like Christina, who make healing possible. 

Learn more about supporting the expansion of the Sun Family Campus in Irvine through the Boldly Hoag campaign: BoldlyHoarg.org

​​Read More Stories