Donating your body to science

Parent Cafe
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<p>My father passed away at 89 years old after sustaining a closed head injury from a bathroom fall this past April. He dedicated his body to the University of Michigan Anatomical Gift program. He filled out all of the paperwork on his own and set up the donation by himself years before his passing. He told me this is what he wanted. We didn’t discuss it very much - it’s was a difficult subject to talk about for me and also for him (I think). Last month I received a letter from the university inviting my family members to attend an annual memorial service for those who have donated their bodies to the university. I was thoroughly impressed and moved by the service, especially the medical students who spoke about the relationship to and what the cadavers meant to them. I really got the feeling from them that they understood and cared for the fact these departed people gave them their last gift of giving to help them in their pursuit of healing and helping others. And they seemed very empathic to the fact that the cadavers were previously a living, loving being connected to members of the audience that were now only connected to their loved ones by memories. I was so impressed that I’m now considering donating my own body to the university, which a few years ago, was totally unthinkable.</p>

<p>I know my father, whose passion in life was helping others, was proud of his choice to donate - I know I am.</p>

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<p>DoDoDuh- That is a beautiful story. We did indeed donate my Mom’s body,as per her wishes, but where we donated they do not offer any sort of memorial service for those who donate. And they do not return cremains, as some places do. I do think about her student working with her now, and know that as a woman passionate about education and the health profession that she would be happy to be teaching still.</p>

<p>I came across this link this morning on CNN on other ways to donate body parts and thought it was interesting:</p>

<p>[Ten</a> uses for your body after you die - CNN.com](<a href=“Ten uses for your body after you die - CNN.com”>Ten uses for your body after you die - CNN.com)</p>

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<p>I am a med student and participated in a cadaver lab. We were told nothing about our cadaver so we named her to make it more personal. There were never any jokes or rude comments made and if we had made comments we would have been kicked out of class. We were given a list of rules regarding what is required as far as how we cared for and treated our cadaver. I learned so much by seeing the actual body parts and their location rather than reading it in a book. When one team had an interesting abnormality we all got a chance to see how it can effect the body as a whole.
When the class was finished we all wrote letters to the families thanking them for their generous donations. We then had a ceremony at the cremation and the remains were sent home to their families. It was a very touching and important part of the learning experience.</p>

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<p>I hope I am not butting in, but I couldn’t help but notice your thoughts when coming across the conversation through the CNN article.</p>

<p>Your mother has made a wonderful and generous gift. I am sorry that the school did not return the remains or provide a ceremony for her and the other donors.</p>

<p>I’m currently a first year medical student and we just finished up our anatomy course two weeks ago. It was amazing to see the wondrous gifts that these individuals have given of themselves. We are fortunate as we are given a copy of their death certificate so we can learn a little about the donor we are paired with. It allows us to connect to them as people. Yes, we still consider them people and we do talk to them. We call them by their names (sometimes shortened) and we ask them to help us out here and there.</p>

<p>We call them donors because that’s what they are. They are not cadavers that are just there to be dissected, they are donors because they have given of themselves without any expectation of anything in return. They have given the ultimate gift.</p>

<p>My school had just had their memorial service for the donors of this past year a month ago. It was a wonderful and beautifully done memorial for the families. Us first year medical students are asked to attend and we are given the opportunity to interact with the families and show our appreciation for their loved ones.</p>

<p>As some of you know, a lot of Anatomical Gift Programs will transport the donor, do all of the embalming and cremation at no cost to the family. My school also has a private burial grounds on campus where donors can be buried if that is their wish. Approximately half are buried there and half are returned to their families by the donors’ wish or by the families’. Their names are kept and written in leather bound volumes for all time so that anyone who looks will know the gift they have made. Two sets are kept at my school, one in the Anatomical Gift Program’s office and another out at the cemetery with is open to the public and families 24/7/365.</p>

<p>Respect does not need to be demanded of us, nor should it be, it is implied. These donors have done everything in the world for everyone else. My school currently has the largest Anatomical Gift Program in the country run by a Medical School and is non-profit. And we are the smallest medical school in the state. This is because of the way the School and its students treat and respect its donors.</p>

<p>A figure was drawn up for the impact a single donor has in the world. It has be calculated that if a single medical student or physician saw and worked with (not on, with) only one donor in their career, that single donor would impact the interactions with 100,000 patients over the career of the student or physician. That is an enormous impact and a wonderful gift.</p>

<p>I’m sorry for the length, but I hope that these words offer some comfort and/or wisdom for those curious about donating their body or the body of a loved one. I just hope that one day I am as brave as these donors.</p>

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<p>I just read the CNN article and noticed that there’s a link to this very thread within the article! Pretty neat! Here a link to a state-by-state list of body donation programs from the CNN piece that answers a lot of questions about requirements, cremation,etc.
[Anatomical</a> Board’s List of Body Donation Programs](<a href=“http://www.med.ufl.edu/anatbd/usprograms.html]Anatomical”>http://www.med.ufl.edu/anatbd/usprograms.html)</p>

<p>I had never thought about leaving my body to science before reading this. I am an organ donor but after reading these posts, I’m considering it.</p>

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<p>It’s a good way for her to ensure that she isn’t going up in the Rapture with ‘those people’.</p>

<p>It’s a great thing she is doing, and a great gift to others. (It’s too bad you can only donate your body to science, but not to the humanities.)</p>

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<p>Patsmom- I didn’t notice the link to this discussion in the CNN article. That is coming full circle when I link to them linking to this discussion!</p>

<p>In retrospect I know we made the right decision, and reading all the entries from those in the medical profession who benefited from working with a willed body has indeed been comforting. I too am proud of my mom for choosing to be a donor.</p>

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<p>I was a freshman in medical school 46 years ago. There were only 10% women in the class, but we were still respectful of our cadavers. At that time our “bodies” were identified with brass tags. I placed the tag from the woman that donated her body on my keychain so that I could remember her and what she did. It is still there today. I have always honored her and plan to donate my own body so that future medical students will have the opportunity to learn.</p>

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<p>My husband only has a social security check and this way I won’t have to worry about burial costs he cannot afford.</p>

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<p>As an estate planning lawyer, I am sometimes asked about body donations, most recently just a couple of days ago. My understanding from a seminar I attended years ago is that the medical schools ultimately reserve the right to respectfully decline a gift if for whatever reason they decide they do not need the gift when available. For people having this conversation with their family members, it is still important to come up with a back up memorial plan for funeral/burial/cremation just in case.</p>

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<p>After I die, it isn’t my body.</p>

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<p>My H was one of those med students, and he told me stories about naming their cadavers and such. He said that helped him get through it, and that he learned a lot from it</p>

<p>I havent read the whole thread but I will tell you that the students are incredibly respectful & appreciative of the gift that the donors leave. Yes some joke- because they are trying to cope with the enormity of what they are faced with . But they also learn so much from those last gifts & it is really I think a awesome way to make a difference.</p>

<p>I am planning on it myself.
( I just don’t want to be on tour posing with a racquetball racquet.)</p>