Born: 1967
Died: 2023
It is hard to explain to people who didn’t know David O’Donovan (1967-2023), almost universally called “DOD”, how popular he was among those who did.
Over the last two years we realised how wide his circle of friends was. Those of us who knew him for the last 40 years or so often laughed when we were introduced to yet another person who we may never have heard of but who loved him as much as we did.
The first thing everyone mentions is his smile. It is etched in our memories for the rest of our lives. What a beautiful legacy that is.
His band of brothers from Glenstal were his second family. A rota of friends from his schooldays who continued making him smile and laugh to the end. When you were DOD’s friend it was a cherished life-long privilege.
His deep intelligence was nurtured in Glenstal where he was school captain. He followed his brother Donough to the Royal College of Surgeons where he quickly became a central figure in the social and academic lives of a group of Irish and international friends that remains extraordinarily close to this day.
He came to the class of 1991′s reunion last year and it was as if time had stopped. The laughter, the wine, the general silliness. We could have been in the Swan back on any Friday night in the 1990s.
DOD always wanted to be a surgeon. He was our George Clooney before anyone knew who George Clooney was. He became a demonstrator in anatomy in RCSI which was the start of his development into one of the finest plastic surgeons of our generation.
After his initial training in Dublin and Cork, he did an intercollegiate fellowship in plastic surgery in 2000. He went on to do a craniofacial surgical fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. There followed another fellowship in reconstructive breast and aesthetic surgery at the University of Miami. He also perfected his incredible skills performing ear reconstruction. He worked another year in Liverpool before returning home to Ireland.
He was appointed as a consultant plastic surgeon in St James’s Hospital and Our Lady’s Hospital, Crumlin, in 2004. There are thousands of patients and parents of sick children who will remember the patient and empathetic surgeon who helped them at their greatest time of need. Always with that smile.
DOD was a mentor to younger surgeons who readily credit him for not only their future choice of career, but also for their surgical techniques. He was obsessive in his attention to detail and worked extremely long hours. Even his music playlists had to be perfect. There was never a going home time in his head. He only considered leaving when he felt he had done all he could. Then he checked again. The wonderful Ciara organised his life to maximise the time he could spend doing what he loved.
He loved to talk about his work. What always came across to those who were listening was his mantra of surgical restraint. There are very few surgeons who are as exceptional as DOD was at talking patients out of having what he felt were unnecessary operations.
He never judged anyone and was so much more tolerant than any of us could ever hope to be. Always smiling.
The day he had to stop working made us all catch our breath. It broke his heart, if not his spirit, that he could no longer help people.
He was so grateful to the doctors, surgeons and nurses who tried to help him. He never complained once and when asked whether he felt angry at any point he would smile knowingly and say “It’s not in my nature”. And it wasn’t.
He adored his parents and talked endlessly about his Dad’s work ethic and sense of fun. He missed him terribly.
His friends were heartbroken but were welcomed day or night by Derry and Angela in his final months. The weekly rota had no shortage of volunteers as everyone wanted to see their friend. We, his devastated friends who are left behind, all know how much he appreciated the love he felt in his final year.
He worshipped his brothers, Derry and Donough, their wives Angela and Edina, Sara, his nieces and nephews and his cousins.
Their love for him was extraordinary to behold and of course they would shrug it off with a “Anyone would do that for their friend or brother”, but they would be wrong. Their devotion was a reflection of the man we all loved. A fantastic surgeon. An amazing brother, colleague and mentor. Always that smile. DOD, the man with so many friends, taken from us far too early, will be missed by all of us.