Dolly Parton allowed her medical team to use experimental drugs on her, even if there was "no hope" of recovery, so that their findings could potentially help others, according to an Instagram post made on Aug. 27 by Stella Parton, one of Dolly's sisters.
"My sister was one of the most generous, thoughtful, and kind people I've ever known," Stella said in the tribute. "What the world saw is exactly who she was."
The country music superstar was an extensive philanthropist who gave heavily to medical research and development. In 2020, she gave $1 million to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center COVID-19 Research Fund, which provided crucial resources to the early stages of COVID-19 vaccine development. She even filmed herself receiving it when
it became available, singing "vaccine, vaccine" in the tune of "Jolene" to encourage her fans to get the shot.
The next year, she gave another $1 million to Vanderbilt's research on infectious diseases affecting children.
"(Dolly) was always thinking of others," Stella said. "And if you want to honor her legacy, show more kindness, lift others up, and give more of your time and resources, as she continued to do to the very end."
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Dolly Parton allowed experimental treatment in hopes of helping others
