A Special kind of Legacy
Dr. Qusay Hussein lived with a kind of determination that people did not forget.
He survived the 2006 bombing in Mosul, Iraq that left him blind and critically injured. He endured years of reconstructive surgeries, left Iraq for treatment, and eventually rebuilt his life in Austin. What followed was not a quiet recovery. It was a life of education, advocacy, service, humor, and constant movement toward other people.
On June 14, 2025, Dr. Hussein passed away in Austin after a two-year battle with kidney cancer. He was 36.
Three months later, he was honored as one of the 2025 Outstanding Young Texas Exes, an award recognizing alumni age 39 and under who have made significant contributions through their careers, communities, and service to The University of Texas.
The honor reflected what many people already knew: Qusay did not live inside the limits others might have imagined for him.
From Patient to Advocate
Qusay’s relationship with Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières began in 2010, when he traveled to Amman, Jordan for treatment at an MSF reconstructive surgery hospital.
He arrived as a patient. He became part of the community.
While at the hospital, he supported other patients, helped organize outings, and brought encouragement into a place where many people were carrying pain, uncertainty, and loss. Staff and patients remembered his optimism, his humor, and his ability to make people feel less alone.
That connection continued long after his treatment. In 2023, Qusay was elected to the MSF USA Board of Directors, becoming the first former patient to serve in that role. His presence mattered because he understood the patient experience from the inside. He also understood dignity, access, disability, and recovery not as abstract issues, but as lived realities.
Avril Benoît, CEO of MSF USA, described him as a trailblazing former patient, patient counselor, board member, and advocate for the inclusion of people with disabilities across the organization. She called him “a great humanitarian” whose spirit and tenacity affected everyone who met him.
Education as a Promise
After resettling in the United States in 2012, Qusay began again.
He learned English, earned his GED, completed an associate degree at Austin Community College, and continued on to The University of Texas at Austin. At UT, he earned dual bachelor’s degrees in psychology and social work, a master’s degree in social work, and a Ph.D. in social work.
His research focused on the migration experiences of refugees with disabilities, a subject shaped by his own life and by the lives of people he continued to serve.
He also helped create UT’s disability studies minor and became the first student to graduate with it.
Qusay served on the boards of Doctors Without Borders and Refugee Services of Texas. He also served on UT Austin’s Services for Students with Disabilities advisory committee. He worked as an interpreter and mentor for Arabic-speaking refugees, published his memoir Can You Open My Eyes?, trained for and completed a half-marathon, and founded a networking group for diverse communities in Austin.
The list is long, but the meaning is simple: he kept moving, and he brought people with him.
A Tribute from Dean Allan Cole
When Qusay was honored as a 2025 Outstanding Young Texas Ex, Dean Allan Cole spoke on behalf of UT Social Work and received the award in his honor.
Dean Cole said Qusay’s life was not remarkable only because of what he overcame. It was remarkable because of what he gave.
He described Qusay as an educator and mentor, someone who walked alongside people facing hard questions, especially people living with disabilities. He called him “a virtuoso in his work” and said he set an example of grace, authenticity, and humanity.
The Meaning of the Honor
Robert Jones, CEO of the Texas Exes, said Qusay’s achievements, especially in the face of extraordinary personal adversity, embodied the essence of the Outstanding Young Texas Ex Award.
For those who knew him, the award did not define his legacy. It confirmed it.
Dr. Qusay Hussein’s life was not measured by what happened to him. It was measured by what he built afterward: a doctorate, a body of advocacy, a network of people he encouraged, and a legacy of refusing to let suffering become the final word.
He did not say no.
He did not say, “I can’t.”
He lived without limits.