donating my body to medical science

[MaryGilbeaux]

I've gone through the process, and have a card in my purse stating this - I don't like waste, and will gladly be recycled!

My children and grandchildren are utterly appalled at this.

Still going ahead of course, but what do you all think?

I think it's a good idea. Do you have a back up plan in case they can't use your body?

How do you go about setting it up? I would like to do the same.

I think it's fab. I want to do the same. Of for whatever reason they can't use my organs id want to be a cadaver for medical students to practice on.

It would seem such a waste to just feed me to the worms and I wouldn't want my kids paying for a funeral so win win. Surgeon gets to practice and I finally get to he useful.

I love the idea. But if your children and GC are genuinely distressed at the thought... are you OK with them feeling that way when they are mourning you?

Great idea and I think it will save 4/5 grand for a funeral
Also ime the ppl I knew who did this were very clever lovely ppl
they had a memorial service after instead of a funeral

Both my mum and me have donated our bodies to science. Both of our husbands are fine with it. My DD's are too young to understand.

I am a lecturer. Medical students rely on bodies donated to medical science. I think it is a very good thing to do. Learning anatomy from computer simulations and books really isn't the same.

I looked into this online and I may be wrong but it seems only certain facilities will accept your body because of the admin and expense, so you have to kind of 'book in' and be accepted in advance. I think a donation via one's will would be a good idea to help with the costs of body transportation.

I'd love to hear more information on here from anyone who has it.

This is what I'd like to do too. I've already donated my brain (post mortem, obviously ) to a brain bank, mainly due to an incurable genetic disease that runs in my family - I don't have this disease, but the brains of relatives are still wanted for research purposes.

I like to be useful!

Hi paxillin. How's it done in practice?

I went onto the main BUS site. I was asked what my postcode was and the site told me where my nearest teaching hospital was.

I then went on that site and found an e mail address fro people who wanted to donate their bodies. It was really easy.

The hard bit is that they won't take my body if they have too many, if I die of certain diseases, if I die over a bank holiday.

My Sister is appalled. My daughter thinks it a great idea. Each to their own, including me and my views.

Mm, that should be the NHS site. Canned auto correct

I think it's a great idea, and am thinking of doing something similar. However it would be worth trying to talk things through with your family - as a pp said you don't want this to be something they struggle with when you have passed on. Though ultimately your wishes should the ones which take priority.
I also believe relatives get your body back if you can't be "used" for any reason, so worth making sure you are all aware of the processes involved.

I've always said just put me in a black bin bag - don't waste the money on a fancy wooden box - I'm dead!

But I get that funerals are for the living and not the dead, so I'll leave it to my loved ones, but make it clear I would take no offence if they cut out the stupidly expensive funeral and spent their money on something fun instead

My grandfather did this, donating his body to the local university. Unfortunately it was the university I was attending at the time of his death, in my final year. I studied in the same building as the medical students and could smell the formaldehyde as I walked in each day. I was very distressed, and conflicted as I knew and know how important it is to the medical students, and how respectfully the bodies were treated.

As it happens, the university was in receipt of a rather large number of donations that winter and we were informed my grandfather was surplus to requirements as it were, especially as he died of old age with nothing interesting to look at. We had him cremated.

I was relieved, tbh, but I wouldn't have wanted to go against his wishes by kicking up a stink about it.

How do you do this? I have already registered for my brain to go to the Parkinson's brain bank at Imperial college, and carry an ordinary donor card, but would be interested in going further.

I don't actually know how the bodies are donated, LineysRunner. I only know about the anatomy classes (although anatomy isn't my subject). The bodies are never mixed up from different tables, this is taken very seriously. The medical students do a lovely multi-religious assembly for all the families of the donors afterwards with singing and readings; those families had no funeral at the time of death after all.

Thanks, paxillin, that's actually very moving in a good way.

My mother passed away just over two years ago and had registered with the University of Glasgow to have her body donated to medical science after her death. The whole process was handled professionally, compassionately and seamlessly. After a year, her body was cremated (arranged by the university) and her ashes returned to us.

As none of our family are in any way religious it made sense . My father has made similar arrangements and I shall most probably do the same.

I believe the universities are not duty bound to take all bodies donated to them. If they have an abundance of bodies for example at a particular time, they may not take any more, so there are no guarantees and you would need to make other arrangements.

Organ donation would be my first choice, but of course you have to die in the suitable way for this to be possible.

Second choice would be medical research but I am obese and your BMI has to be under 30 so unless I lose a shit load of weight they won't want me. Lastly I haven't asked but as I have had both my uterus and ovaries removed I wonder if they would reject me for being incomplete.

Bottom of my list if no one wants my remains, I would prefer direct cremation. I hate the thought of wasting thousands on a funeral service and frankly there would likely be so few people there it would ridiculous.

My late father in law find this

They wouldn't accept him when he died, they apparantly give the remains back after use.

Hopefully it is different now

My dad arranged to do this, sent all the forms off, received a confirmation letter back thanking him and generally saying what a valuable contribution he was making and how grateful they were and providing details of what the procedure would be when the time came.

He was very proud of what he was doing and would happily tell everyone!

When he died some 2 years later in hospital the staff contacted the relevant university hospital to come and collect his body only to be told "Oh no thanks we don't need any 'subjects' right now".

I assumed there had been some kind of mistake or misunderstanding so contacted the uni hospital myself only to be dealt with by a very dismissive and arrogant individual who treated me like I was just being a nuisance.

I want to do the same however my mother has called me selfish. My families feelings over the matter should not take precedence over my wishes after my death.

My dad did this. All the paperwork.was set up in advance once he had a terminal diagnosis. I think it was done via the GP/local university hospital. We also booked the funeral director in advance so that they could get clued up. Bear in mind there is no guarantee that a donated body will be accepted for medical research - to be brutal it depends upon the condition.

About 2 years after his death we had a letter from the university hospital notifying is of a group celebration at the crematorium near the hospital - it was a lovely service, attended by families of donors and the medical students & we got to spread his ashes. He would have been pleased to know we had carried out his wishes.

I had mulled over this idea for years.

Then started working in a hospital and happened to listen to some of the doctors regaling each other with stories about cadavers during medical training. I was fucking disgusted and it completely put me off.

With any luck they were a complete one off and bodies are treated with a bit of respect.

You have to consent in life to body donation (unlike say organ donation which family can consent to on your behalf).

There's no guarantee your body will be accepted when the time comes, so worth having a back up plan.