[Last week, we featured a NY
Times article by Dr. Alessandra
Colaianni
about a T.E.N. patient that she cared for in Boston. In it, she referenced Dax Cowart. So, my attention was piqued when I saw his
obituary in the Times on May 15th.]
 |
| Dax Cowart (1947 - 2019) |
After his immolation, Dax became a lawyer and a prominent
patients’ rights advocate. In the face of what he saw as medical paternalism,
he argued that patients should have more autonomy over what treatments they
receive and a choice in whether they even receive any treatment at all.
He
overcame his hopelessness and found a mission in trying to persuade doctors to
demonstrate greater respect for their patients’ wishes. Cowart articulated his ideas in a
powerful, positive way, and influenced many young doctors in their approach
to patient care.
“To
make this clear,” he added, “if the same thing were to occur tomorrow, and
knowing that I could reach this point, I would still not want to be forced to
undergo the pain and agony that I had to undergo to be alive now. I would want
that choice to lie entirely with myself and no others.”
Not
that you have time; but here is the Dax
Cowart Documentary (1 hr).
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