Niilo Saranummi left a tremendous impact on the lives of many of us who work on the crossroads of health and ICT. His formal CV speaks for itself. To name but a few items: Fellow of FACTE, IAMBE, AIMBE, IEEE, EAMBES and HL7, President of IFMBE, IUPESM, and EAMBES, co-founder of HL7 Finland, Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transactions of Information Technology in Biomedicine (now IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics) and recipient of the Otto Schmitt Award. But above this, and what we will miss most, was his warmth and genuine interest in different people from various disciplines from engineering to medicine and behavioral sciences – seeing their potential, educating them, giving them a chance, and driving them to work together to solve big challenges. Niilo was great in finding the right combination of people for any job, and he never stepped in front but rather let others to sparkle at the moments of glory. His unique combination of open-mindedness, energy and clear visions have inspired generations of researchers, healthcare professionals and members of industry alike, and his memory will continue to do so. Rest in peace, our friend.