Neurologist with ALS advocates for patient autonomy
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- Christopher Campos was diagnosed with ALS in 2025 after experiencing progressive weakness in his hands, voice, and limbs, ultimately losing the ability to speak, walk, and eat independently.
- Christopher Campos communicates using an eye-tracking tablet and receives nutrition through a feeding tube, relying on his partner and family for physical care while maintaining full decision-making autonomy.
- Christopher Campos spent nearly a decade in medical training and worked as a neurologist at UC Davis, where he delivered ALS diagnoses before becoming a patient himself.
- ALS causes the degeneration of motor neurons, leading to paralysis of voluntary muscles including those for breathing, speaking, and swallowing, while sparing heart and gut function.
- ALS research lacks sufficient understanding and effective treatments for most patients, though Campos notes emerging clinical trials and precision medicine approaches targeting genetic factors.
- Patient autonomy is frequently undermined in healthcare settings, with people assuming dependence diminishes decision-making capacity, even among well-intentioned families and professionals.
Why it matters: People with ALS lose physical function but retain cognitive and decision-making capacity, yet systems often sideline their voices. Campos’s dual perspective as physician and patient highlights a critical gap between medical practice and lived reality—where maintaining autonomy requires active resistance, not just goodwill.
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