On 24 July 2013 Andrea Coda passed away.

Andrea Coda was a good, honest, polite and gentle man in all his actions in both his private and public life.

From the professional point of view, in his region Piemonte, he has been a true innovator with the introduction, during the 1980s and 1990s, of new surgical techniques and a classification of prosthetic meshes.

Andrea always lived out his surgical passion for both general surgery and specifically hernia pathology with enthusiasm, dedication and a particular kindness that always made him stand out.

The author of numerous scientific publications and carrying out thousands of surgeries, Andrea made important contributions to the European Hernia Society with the organization, in 2005, of the magnificent annual congress in Turin, with participation of surgeons from all over the world, who now, together with us, will grieve for him.

His scientific dedication to the European Hernia Society culminated with his appointment as first a National Delegate and then President of the Italian Chapter of the European Hernia Society.

He was also recently nominated Honorary President of the Italian Society of Ambulatory and Day Surgery. Although his illness had already affected him for a few years, he was able to honor both appointments, attending board meetings and member assemblies up to the end, as he did during the last event on the occasion of our most recent congress in Gdansk.

We will all remember him for his noble soul, quietness and kindness that complemented his “gentle giant” physique.

Goodbye Andrea; you will always linger in our memory and in our hearts.

Prof. Giampiero Campanelli

President Elect of EHS

Prof. Vincenzo Mandalà

Past President of EHS