Donald Liu (1962-2012)
A terrible and heroic thing happened in Michigan last weekend.
A surgeon named Don Liu drowned in a Lake Michigan riptide after helping rescue two youngsters who’d gotten themselves too far out in a kayak.
Don was the surgeon-in-chief at the University of Chicago’s Comer Children’s Hospital.
He was skilled in minimally-invasive pediatric surgery, and by all accounts, gifted at comforting kids both in the hospital and around the neighborhood.
Don was a quintessential academic doc–he excelled in surgery, teaching, and patient care; on top of that he was both an active researcher, program-builder, and administrator.
Don was an incredibly accomplished guy, but he was not in the business of self-promotion.
Many of the obituaries noted that this man who devoted his life to helping children died rescuing some.
I knew Don from around the neighborhood. He was a stand-up guy. He leaves behind a wife and three kids.
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A lovely tribute! I can’t remember ever seeing Don when he wasn’t smiling and upbeat. Such a loss.
Inspiring. He gave until death. May I be as selfless.