Does anyone have experience with a loved one donating their body to science?

jeannegibbs - the cremains were returned a couple months later.

MY SIL and DIL are both Drs. One of the great trials they encountered in Med School was simply that there were not enough cadavers to go around. Best case, 2 students per cadaver, They were 4-8 on some. That's just not enough.

I am toying with the idea of donating my body to science. We have a Med School here and I know there will always be a need.

After the donation, the cremains are returned to the family, if they choose, or placed in a special resting place. My DIL talked about the "party" (kind of the wrong word, more of a memorial service" to pay honor to those people who donated their bodies. She said the students were taught to respect these remains as if they had been family.

Jeanne, I really don’t know. We have the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve hospitals here, both teaching hospitals. I don’t know if she was taken there or somewhere else.

Hugemom, where was the friend's body donated?

Hugger, the same question of you. What was done with your friend's dad's body?

A friend's dad donated his body to science while in the hospital. He was given a couple months to live and he did not want a funeral. No family left other than a couple cousins. The company was located in Houston and they handled transport, cremation, death certificate and all paperwork. No cost to the family. The family had a small Celebration of Life at their home and no funeral expenses. It really turned out great. As a result, I am now a registered donor in my state.

My mom had funeral pre-planning and when she passed, it still cost us nearly $5000 to cremate and bury her; $5000 of which we didn’t have to spare and are still trying to make up for. Her life savings was eaten up by the nursing home spend down. That’s the financial part. Mom was 95 and had absolutely no family or friends. She was not religious. That’s the social part. After going through that, I am sincerely considering speaking with my husband and asking him if he wants to donate. I already know I do. We had a friend who did, and her family had a wonderful memorial for her. Her ashes were there and I know that she approved of the service.

Since we live near the UB medical school, we donated bodies there. They would pick up the body only if it was within 35 miles of the school. If you are far from a medical school, you need to ask your funeral director about the cost of transport.