Ming Wang - From Darkness to Sight: How One Man Turned Hardship into Healing

Dr. Wang is not only a dear friend and the very best eye surgeon; he is also one of the greatest people I have ever known.

Dolly Parton

To try to put my feelings about Dr. Wang, his accomplishments, his courage, his iron will and his faith into a couple of sentences would be tantamount to packing a Mack truck into a burlap bag. This remarkable man overcame all but impossible odds to become the best in his field, and this world is a better place for having Dr. Ming Wang pass through it.

Charlie Daniels

I have known Dr. Wang for nearly two decades; he is a respected eye surgeon and friend. What Ming has done with his life since arriving here in the United States as a penniless student over 30 years ago exemplifies the true essence of the American dream, and the freedom that we enjoy in this great country. I highly recommend his autobiography, From Darkness to Sight.

Senator William H. Frist, MD,
former U.S. Senate Majority Leader

If I didnt know Ming, it would be hard to believe the story of his life. But I do know him, and his life truly is a remarkable story of faith, persistence, and excellence.

Bill Haslam,
Governor of the State of Tennessee

Ming Wang is well known for the eye surgeries hes performed to give countless people better sight. And its hard to forget that hes also a ballroom dancer, once youve seen one of his ads on TV. But what many people dont know is that Dr. Wang also gives very generously of his time and talents so that blind children in other countries can regain their sight. What better gift can you give someone? Nashville is lucky to be able to count Dr. Wang as one of our own.

Karl Dean,
Mayor, Nashville

My deeply respected friend, Dr. Ming Wang, has topped the heights of human achievement. Through his personal and professional triumphs, Ming has captured the essence of what it means to be free and to be a loving humanitarian. The story of his unique life, as only he can tell it, will be a blessing and an inspiration to all who come to know it.

Dr. Winfield Dunn,
former Governor of Tennessee

From Darkness to Sight is an inspiring story that shows how hard work, optimism, and faith can not only lead to personal success, but also make our country stronger. Dr. Ming Wangs journey from dark days in Communist China to his career in the United States as a physician and philanthropist is a testament to the possibilities of the American Dream.

Senator Lamar Alexander

The story of Ming Wangs journey from the severe hardships of the cultural revolution in China to becoming one of the most accomplished doctors in the U.S. will make you a believer that all things are possible.

Dr. Rice Broocks,
Senior Minister of Bethel World Outreach Church in Nashville, co-founder of Every Nation Ministries, best-selling author of Gods Not Dead

Dr. Wang performed LASIK eye surgery on me in 2000 and we have been friends ever since. It has been a pleasure to serve on his Wang Foundation Board, and to witness the generous application of his talents and skills giving the gift of sight. Ming Wangs life story is unique and inspirational, as is he. I am indeed thrilled that he has shared it in his new book!

Shirley Zeitlin, Owner, Shirley Zeitlin & Company

I have known Dr. Ming Wang for many years. He is a highly respected eye surgeon, writer, award-winning ballroom dancer, philanthropist, and dear friend. Dr. Wang is the epitome of the Renaissance Man. His skill as an eye surgeon is legendary, his empathy, and concern for patients worldwide is noteworthy, and his Christian faith guides and drives him!

Colleen Conway Welch, PhD, CNM, FAAN, FACNM,
Nancy & Hilliard Travis, Professor of Nursing, Dean Emerita, Vanderbilt School of Nursing

It was a great pleasure having Dr. Wang work in my laboratory while he was a student at Harvard Medical-school. He managed to explore cutting-edge science and publish in the top journal, Nature, while excelling in his clinical duties and other pursuits. He has continued this path of technology development in laser applications in eye surgery ever since then and his new book captures a truly touching and amazing story of a multifaceted life.

George Church, PhD, Professor of Genetics,
Harvard Medical School

From Darkness to Sight is a roller coaster of emotions! Once I picked up the book I couldnt put it down, each page dripping with humanity in the face of lifes most difficult circumstances. This is a story of tenacity and determination, an odyssey of searching through great darkness to find a sliver of light that would ultimately become a wave of grace and mercy. Dr. Wang writes, Over the years of my life, I had learned again and again that it was often in these especially difficult situations, where human capability seems to have reached its limit, that we really have the chance to encounter Gods true power. And isnt that the story of all of our lives? We struggle for meaning and understanding amidst the highs and lows that we share with our loved ones, with our colleagues, with our God. We reach to discover our purpose in this world. Dr. Wangs journey is one of self-discovery crowned with the humility to reach out beyond himself to find true peace and freedom. I would highly recommend this book to everyone. And as an executive producer in feature film and television, I look forward to seeing From Darkness to Sight come alive on the silver screen!

David Fischer, JD, Chief Financial Officer,
Kingston Road Pictures

From Darkness to Sight

From Darkness to Sight

A Journey from
Hardship to Healing

Ming Wang, MD, PhD

From Darkness to Sight
2016 Dr. Ming Wang

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, scanning, or otherwisewithout permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. For information on licensing or special sales, please email Dunham Books at .

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-939447-95-1
Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-939447-913
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-939447-920
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015940520

Printed in the United States of America

Dedication

To my father, Dr. Zhen-sheng Wang, my mother, Dr. A-lian Xu, my brother, Dr. Ming-yu Wang, my wife, Anle Wang, my son, Dennis Wang and my godparents, Misha Bartnovsky and June Rudolph, and my entire family, as well as my teachers, mentors, colleagues, and friends.

To my patients, with whom I have shared the journey from darkness to sight.

To China, my birth country, which shaped my character.

To America, my adopted country, which gave me freedom and the opportunity to serve.

To God, the Creator of all.

Contents

Foreword by

Senator Bill Frist, MD

I first met Ming Wang in 1999, during my U.S. Senatorial re-election campaign. As a fellow physician and Harvard Medical-school alumnus, it was with a sense of camaraderie that I learned of his many accomplishments in science and ophthalmology, but what I remember most about that first meeting is Mings love for our great country that he now calls his own.

Most of us cannot imagine what it would have been like to grow up without the freedom we enjoy as Americans. Ming grew up in China during the tumultuous Cultural Revolution, a period when millions of youth were deported to some of the poorest parts of the country to endure a lifetime of hard labor and poverty. The opportunity for education was stripped from Ming when he was only a teenager. It looked as though his dream of joining his familys long line of physicians was dead. Yet through his tenacity and his parents tireless efforts to instill hope where it could be found, Ming fought the communist regime and made his way to the United States to gain freedom and build his future.