Donating your body to science after you're gone

Uncle Phil was an incredible human being and continued to be so even after he left this mortal world. We are better for having known him even if some of us never got to meet him in person.

We were blessed with an update from his wife where she gave us the details of his most recent teaching moment. He donated his body to science and was able to aid in the education of 5 medical students. Selfless even in death, the man is a true inspiration to us all.

I myself am thinking of donating my body to science after my passing. I feel people may learn from my disease as well as learn basic techniques in their field. I don't think my friends or family would be opposed to my decision.

Please use this thread to discuss your intentions of donating organs or your whole body to those in need. Also, share information about the process of donating your body or parts of your body to those who could benefit from your demise.

Here is a wikihow link that is a good starting point: How to Donate Your Body to Science: 5 Steps (with Pictures)

Interesting article about body size and donation: Donating your body to science? Nobody wants a chubby corpse - NBC News.com

I'm also toying with the idea of donating my corpse to a body farm for forensic anthropological study. This may actually be a better fit for me since I can still donate my organs to help people and be a cool study for those needing the data to solve murders.

University of Tennessee has a program and I'm sure someone in the PACNW does: UT Knoxville | Forensic Anthropology Center | Donation

 

As of now, I'm an organ donor. I have plans to donate my body to science. I want to be able to help as many people as I can, even if I'm dead. Plus, I have no desire to be eaten by worms and maggots (unless it's for forensic research, which is totally awesome).

My mom dissected a cadaver when she was in physical therapy school and said it was her number one best learning experience. I want to be able to provide that for others.

 

I had meningitis as a baby, and it has forever changed my neural makeup. I would love to be able to compare my brain to a "normal" brain.

I have always been an organ donor, but honestly the donation of my body to science was never an idea I entertained until I was reminded about it today in the update from Marilyn.

 

I already have it all set up in my living will. There will be no need for a funeral for me. Just the party of the year.

 

If you already have a living will in the hands of your lawyer, it"s a quick add-on. Having been witness now to how these things can get muddled at times of crisis, it's best to have your wishes in writing and legally binding.

 

I too was inspired by Phil's gift.

I spoke to my wife about it yesterday.

What's funny is that I've always been okay with being an organ donor but the idea of being a medical cadaver was creepy. Inconsistent thinking now righted.

 

Advance medical directive. That's it.

 

My baby daddy is not legally tied to me at the moment. I've started inquiring about making him my medical power of attorney and other junk.

Before I didn't want extreme measures to prolong my life, but now that I will be a mother I want them to do what they can to keep me alive (and functional) for my daughter's sake.

I'll also put him in charge of seeing that my body gets donated to science.

 

I have a Five Wishes, as does my husband. It was done before we got married, so I need to update mine. Super-easy way to give your family a guide to what you want. Checklists, areas for comments, etc. It's recognized in 42 states as a legal advanced directives document, too. So there's that.

I've been an organ donor on my DL since I was 18 and a blood donor since then, too. I joined the bone marrow donation foundation two years ago. When I'm gone, I'm gone... my hubs can do whatever he wants with me. I'm totally find with being a creepy cadaver to help others learn. Especially since they'll be able to see how and where my connective tissue deteriorates. Not a lot has been done on fibromyalgia after the fact.

 

I went ahead and did everything through my lawyer when i was making custody arrangements for my daughter should i die. (So she wouldn't end up back in Sulphur...my greatest fear). The lawyer offered to take care of my living will, hc surrogate and advance med directive, too, for just a few hundred more. Since i was already thinking in that vein, i thought 'why not!' I'm glad i did.

I witnessed a spouse vs. family conflict over a pt. on life support last summer. It's best to have your own wishes expressed in a legally binding document before it becomes an issue. It's a horrible thing to see a family in conflict over the life or death of a loved one. And preventable.

 

I've never really had any clue of what to do with my body after I die. I would pretty much be happy with anything, I guess, since i won't be there to see it. But I guess this has given me my first idea on what to have done with my body after I bite the dust, and I suppose that helping people and the advancement of research is better than just laying around.

I'll have to think on this one, though you guys have probably already made up my mind for me.

 

My mother always intended to donate her body (as had both her parents and many in her extended family), but she never made any arrangements. My sister and I had to do this while she was dying of lung cancer and comatose.

Contrary to the thing about a chubby corpse above, one of the requirements (of the medical school we worked with) was that the deceased be at least 90 pounds. This was not an issue for my mother.

Donating to a medical school is by far the cheapest method of body disposition. No funeral home need be involved at all.
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Also: donating one's corpse to a medical school, and donating organs for re-use, are incompatible options. Medical schools are not interested in what's left of you after organs are removed. Hence, donating organs means having to deal with a funeral director.