Don’t trivialize the sore.

I 100% don't trivialize it. I've had a similar wound that took many months to heal, so I empathize completely. From what I understand, the sore doesn't cause him pain, but it requires ongoing care that he doesn't want to "burden" (his words) anyone with.

Also, what is mind blowing is that this monstrosity is nosocomial. The healthcare system gave it to him.

Yes. I'm in complete agreement. I hope that his wife can get a settlement out of it.

So why would he have any trust to such a system afterwards to care for him with his disability in the long term?? This is a completely catastrophic healthcare failure.

I think we have two separate issues here. On the one hand, it really was a failure of the healthcare system (the specific hospital), for the series of events leading to his pressure sore.

But from reading more about this case, there was a lot more to it. The man was obese; his wife was his caregiver, and he viewed his care as a burden; he quite literally has no use of his arms or legs and can't participate in the things he used to love; he suffered from multiple respiratory infections and had pressure sores previous to this hospital stay; and I don't think he wanted his life to continue like that.

As I've volunteered to help disabled people, I can understand how one can get into a mental hole of despair. It's common, especially for life-altering disabilities that came from something sudden, like an accident.

Would more time have given him hope for the future? I have no idea. I don't know the man. I do know several paraplegics, who have gone to live quite normal lives over decades, but it's far different from being a quadriplegic.