Dr Vivien Thomas was an African American surgical technician known for his pivotal role in the field of cardiac surgery such as developing techniques for the surgical correction of Tetralogy of Fallot, despite limited educational opportunities and racial prejudice. Born in 1910, Dr Thomas was originally a carpenter who then worked as a lab assistant for renowned cardiac surgeon Dr Alfred Blalock. Officially he was hired and paid as a janitor because they were the only employees of colour at John Hopkins Hospital at the time. In the 1940s, Dr Thomas’ collaboration with Dr. Blalock resulted in the development of the groundbreaking Blalock-Taussig shunt to address the Tetralogy of Fallot. Dr Thomas first replicated the left to right shunt by forming a pulmonary arteriovenous fistula in canine models. He later treated this artificial cyanosis by dividing and then anastomosising the left subclavian artery to the pulmonary artery in order to increase blood flow equally to both lungs. His work directly led to this procedure being performed on humans. At this time Dr Blalock had only performed the procedure once on a canine model and consequently Dr Thomas stood on a stool behind him and guided him through the procedure. This was the first successful surgery on the human heart of the modern era and the procedure went on to save the lives of thousands of children. Dr Thomas’ contribution was later acknowledged and he received an honorary doctorate and was appointed faculty of the School of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University. His story continues to serve as an inspiration for aspiring surgeons from disadvantaged backgrounds.