Woman Makes Wishes Clear with Tattoo: Do Not Resuscitate
Mary Wohlford has made it perfectly clear what her final wishes are: The words "DO NOT RESUSCITATE" are tattooed on her chest.
DECORAH, Iowa -- Mary Wohlford has made it perfectly clear what her final wishes are: The words "DO NOT RESUSCITATE" are tattooed on her chest.
Wohlford, 80, got the tattoo in February. She hopes she's made her wishes perfectly clear should she become incapacitated. She also has a living will hanging on the side of her refrigerator.
"People might think I'm crazy, but that's OK," she said. "Sometimes the nuttiest ideas are the most advanced."
But Wohlford's decision to have her final wishes imprinted on her chest have raised some legal issues. Some medical and legal experts doubt that Wohlford's tattoo would be binding in the emergency room or in court. But they give her credit for originality.
"There are easier ways to do it than that," said Bob Cowie, a Decorah lawyer and chairman of the Iowa Bar Association's probate and trust law section. He suggested people sign a living will or authorize a medical power of attorney.
She said she knows some people might find the tattoo amusing, but her motive is serious.
"This is a modern day and age," she said. "You have to advance with the times. We never even had a living will 20 years ago. Now I think we've got to go to the next step."
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