Does anyone know of an organization that pays for cremation for the study of a loved one's disease?

Chimonger, you have made my day - "large chunks in the garden," had to laugh, which I really needed. Thanks for the info and for the chuckle.

Tulane in New Orleans. You must sign up to donate your body to science. They are called upon death and come get the body. You will receive their ashes back but it will be 6 months or more. Both of my husbands grandparents and my uncle did this. Hope this helps.

i wouldn't mind a couple of medical students cracking jokes over my body. it's been done before. :D once by a medical student even. i'd love to sit up, laugh and scare the ever lovin crap out of them! i'd really love a Tibetan Sky Funeral. To me that's the ultimate green funeral. I'd like one of them to fly back here and poop on obama for me. *GRIN* whatever i do will be cheap. i'm only getting rid of the tupperware, what's real will have flown off to be with Jesus and my daddies and my grandmas and grandpas and my grandson.

I have donated my body to science at the Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, USD, Vermillion, South Dakota 57069. The key is to inform all family members so one one can dispute my wishes. After the body is used for tissue, science, etc. the cremated remains are buried on the Schools grounds with a simple marker. There is no charge for picking up the body nor burial. I do not know the concentric area in which the school will travel.

I know if someone is on hospice they have information about body donation when a loved one dies. My MIL is actually signed up for it. I guess they are more likely to take her body because she has Alzheimer's and is on hospice. Her social worker through them set it all up for us. You may be able to contact a local hospice in your area and ask them. They have be very helpful for us.

Oops, sorry. I meant to say, "They have been very helpful for us."

I was going to ask about brain donation of an azl. patient. Read some time ago that some places like to study alzheimer brains.Don't like asking...like I am trying to hurry him up!

You are welcome, CindyOh...
Did you know, the mind interprets our faces making a smile pose, as motivation to pump out dopamine, which elevates mood?
The mind is so responsive to that, if one simply sticks a pencil in their mouth sideways, stretching the mouth into a sort of a smile, the brain will still comply and pump out some dopamine?
I just about rolled over laughing when I heard that the 1st time, but it does seem to work.....also, the brain can literally only process one thought at a time....so by consciously responding to troublesome things by smiling, we are short-circuiting thoughts of pain, sadness, stress, etc....making it easier to start feeling better again.

Dunno about exact places that do specific studies.
Just that most go through a company that does the work of collecting the bodies, and harvesting tissues at a central location, then that company ships tissues to specified research locations as ordered.

The place in Portland, OR, is a "clearing house" arrangement.
Researchers contact them seeking tissues for studies/research.
The company collects the bodies upon death--or they contract with local mortuaries to collect remains until they can get them [bodies must be removed from the home within, I believe, 24 hours or less, preferably, to keep the body under refrigeration]
==Their website has the necessary documents you can download and copy.
Signatures do need notarized...we took Mom to the bank to get her signature was notarized/witnessed, free.
==There were about 2 or 3 different forms, =not all= needed notarized.
But ALL the forms need filled out and sent in to get the process going--
I remember we almost missed one of them, not realizing it was needed, too.

It is very helpful if family members have been informed in writing, otherwise, any one of them can contest the process and gum up the works, if the elder has failed to make their wishes clear, on paper. Some folks are very against cremation, for mostly emotional/religious reasons. A few are concerned about pollution/fuel use.

Sometimes, people going through their aging/infirmity/ills, develop fears, doubts, and change their minds:
G'ma deeply, Spiritually believed in life after death, yet when she got closer to her deathbed, developed doubts and fears; family were able to help her hold fast to her lifetime faith, reassuring her in her original choices, complimenting her on her practicality [which she had always been proud of].
But it is also at such junctures, elders may suddenly sign other papers with very different orders than their rational minds originally dictated. [[easily led to do so]]

Good luck in your process!

Chimonger, after I read your posting yesterday, I did look on my local medical school's website (Wright State University), where I know they have the body donation service. I know my uncle will be donating his body when his time comes, and my aunt has carried through with the paperwork required. They have a yearly memorial service and one can have a brick with the loved one's name placed on a walkway in their "cemetery" that's right on the campus. I was kind of impressed. The whole body donation idea put me off (I've known a few medical students and doctors in my years as a medical transcriber) but I gave it careful thought yesterday for myself when my time comes. Looks relatively easy to get the process going, can just run the forms off on my printer, fill them out and have them notarized and put in the mail and voila. I ran it by mom, who looked at me like I was crazy then asked me where dad's buried. I had to reassure her she would be placed beside him when her time comes.

CindyOh,

I wouldn't worry much about how bodies are handled in med schools.
The A&P instructor I had, was also a minister in his other life, and a college science instructor. While this is not likely common, he did have a wonderful "grace" or skill regarding making sure students were respectful.

Surely other instructors are similarly trained to teach their classes in this subject.
Students who are in these classes are closely monitored, as well as being trained/instructed in proper mindset and respect, prior to even seeing a body.

Please feel at ease in these choices.
It is a very wonderful gift to the future!
The school's program near you, sounds very good!