Tri-City celebrates late physician and Del Mar resident Paul Haydu

By Kristina Houck

A collection of photographs by late physician and Del Mar resident Dr. Paul Haydu was unveiled June 26 at the Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine at Tri-City Medical Center.

The event marked the fifth anniversary of the center, which was founded by Haydu, husband of Del Mar Deputy Mayor Lee Haydu.

“I’m very touched that they are doing this,” said Haydu, who was presented with a plaque honoring her husband’s commitment to the center. “In this way, he can live on.”

Haydu, who served as the center’s medical director, died Feb. 26 at the age of 67. Art helped him during his battle with leukemia, and now he will be able to continue to help Tri-City Medical Center patients through his art, Haydu said.

“With my husband being sick for so many years, we were in and out of hospitals, we were in and out of seeing doctors, and having artwork to look at was always wonderful,” Haydu said.

Haydu practiced emergency medicine in San Diego for 25 years before he switched specialties to wound care and hyperbaric medicine after he was diagnosed with cancer in 2002. Prior to joining Tri-City Medical Center, Haydu served as an emergency physician at Palomar Pomerado Health for more than 20 years.

“He really was a man of integrity,” said Tracy Younger, director of outpatient ambulatory care at Tri-City Medical Center. “He was so passionate about wound care. We have hundreds of patients that he treated, touched their life and healed over the five years that he worked with our program.”

Younger, who knew Haydu for 15 years, credited him for helping the center exceed national benchmarks for healing for 60 consecutive months.

“It’s a team effort,” Younger said. “We have a really expert team that we work with, and Dr. Haydu was a big part of it. He was an inspiration to all of us.”

More than 200 people attended the event to celebrate the legacy of Haydu and view his photos of Del Mar landscapes and wildlife, many taken at the San Dieguito Lagoon near the Haydus’ home.

“He touched many people’s hearts,” Haydu said. “Many people loved his smile, and loved the way he was very much there for everybody, whether it was as a physician or as a friend.”

The Center for Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine is located at 6260 El Camino Real, Carlsbad, CA 92009.

For more information visit the website www.tricitymed.org.