Duck Dynasty stars Missy and Jase Robertson shared heartbreaking news with their fans on Instagram early last month. Dr. David Genecov, who helped their daughter Mia Robertson, died in a car accident. Genecov was a renowned pediatric surgeon who changed Mia’s life by correcting her cleft lip and palate.
“Dr. David changed Mia’s life in ways no other surgeon could possibly have done due to his ingenious medical inventions and meticulous skill level,” Missy, 51, wrote on Instagram on Nov. 14. “His caring nature helped calm her (and me), but his steadfast encouragement to both of us that we can do the hard things helped make both me and Mia stronger than we could have thought possible.”
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Missy went on to praise Genecov for how he connected with his young patients, especially Mia. “He was more than we could ask for or imagine for her cleft journey,” Missy wrote. “We will miss him greatly, but we are so very grateful for the work he did for Mia and all his cleft patients and the legacy of medical innovations he leaves for generations to come! International Craniofacial Institute and all of Dr. David’s patients and their families have forever been changed because of a wonderful man!”
Later in her post, Missy went on to recall how difficult it was to tell Mia. “She can’t remember her life before Dr. David,” Missy wrote. She went on to ask her followers to pray for Genecov’s family in their time of grief.
Genecov died in a car accident in North Dallas on Nov. 12, reports D Magazine. The surgeon was driving with another male passenger in a Corvette convertible when he lost control of the vehicle, Dallas police said. His car struck another vehicle coming in the opposite direction, and that vehicle struck another car. Genecov and his passenger were both ejected from the convertible. The surgeon died of his injuries, while the others involved in the accident survived their injuries.
Genecov was the medical director of the craniofacial program at Children’s Medical Center Plano. He was respected in his field and also pursued other medical interests. He was the president and CEO of the biotechnology company Dialectic, which worked on cancer treatment technology. He was also a member of the team that separated Egyptian twin boys at Medical City Dallas in 2003. Genecov is survived by his wife, his three sons, his daughter, and one granddaughter.
After Mia’s successful cleft palate surgery in 2014, Missy and Jase, 54, established the Mia Moo Foundation. It is “dedicated to raising awareness and funds towards treatments of cleft lip & palate,” according to the foundation’s website. Jase and Mia are also parents to Cole Roberson, 24, and Reed Robertson, 27.
