Skip to main content

You make this possible. Support our independent, nonprofit newsroom today.

Give Now

He has lung cancer. And he's a doctor in the midst of coronavirus outbreak

caption: Dr. Morhaf Al Achkar is a physician with University of Washington Medicine. He has stage four lung cancer.
Enlarge Icon
Dr. Morhaf Al Achkar is a physician with University of Washington Medicine. He has stage four lung cancer.
Courtesy of Dr. Morhaf Al Achkar

Doctors and nurses around the Puget Sound region are on the front line of the coronavirus fight.

But what if you’re a physician who already has a life-threatening disease?

Dr. Morhaf Al Achkar is a family medicine doctor with University of Washington Medicine.

He has stage-four lung cancer, and with coronavirus spreading widely, he’s at high risk.

KUOW’s Angela King spoke to him about his concerns and and about what he thinks of how the public is responding thus far.

Click on the audio above to hear their conversation.

Why you can trust KUOW