A cura di @Perodatrent (modificato).

Jeremy Samuel Faust, medico a Boston, commenta la notizia secondo cui il senatore McCain avrebbe abbandonato le cure per il cancro che lo affliggeva.

L’idea che McCain non sarebbe stato più curato, spiega Faust, è sbagliata. La notizia corretta è che McCain non ha più ricevuto cure per provare a guarire la malattia o prolungare la vita, ma cure per alleviare la sofferenza.

a dominant force is the way in which the American psyche has been molded to think about cancer over the past half-century. Patients “fight” their diseases and are imagined to be soldiers in our nation’s multigenerational “war on cancer.” From this perspective, patients “win” or “lose” their battles with a disease, even if their fate has nothing to do the magnitude of their personal courage or their dogged determination.

The actions of prominent public citizens have tremendous influence on other observers—in fact, often more than expert societies’ guidelines or even a doctor’s advice. McCain’s statement today was a powerful one. He no doubt will die with the dignity that he is owed. But that will not be because he is discontinuing medical care: It is because he is accepting a kind of medical care that is appropriate and commensurate to his condition.

Immagine da pixabay.