The Anatomical bequest program

I don't know if most medical students know anything about their cadavers in anatomy lab or anything about the anatomy bequest program...how does donating one's body to science work, is there some kind of compensation, what happens to them afterwards, who donates their body to science, etc. I won't launch into all of that on here but you can ask me if you're curious. UT-Memphis doesn't have an introduction to their anatomy bequest program or anything but 1 of the committees in my class put it together and we got to listen to the director of the program give a presentation today. It was eye-opening and definitely made the cadavers more personal (not that they're not human, but as always, compartmentalization goes on between science and human when you're down there).

There was one thing that the director said, at the very end, that resonated with me. He said, "This kind of a gift [donation of one's body to science] is the best gift you can ever give to someone you don't even know. Cause when you save a life later down the road, you can think about how it all started..."
And it made me think of Jesus. None of the families know us personally (for the sake of the students and the families for various reasons). And I think about what those families go through after a loved one of theirs has donated their body to science. After the anatomy course is over, all they want to know is: did they help someone, did the students learn something, will it save someone's life in the long run, will it make a difference in someone's life. We got a brochure about the program and on the very front it reads, "Donating your body to medical science, THAT OTHERS MAY LIVE". I have a very tangible example right now of someone has given their life so that others may live...It made me rethink about donating my body to science. I will do so if my family (including any future family members) are ok with it (and if nothing else disqualifies me from doing so).

At the very end, the head mortician asked us if we could write thank you notes to the families whom we don't know, thanking them for their gift. And as I think about the huge debt that I owe to Jesus, to the families...a thank you card is the least I can do. I wish I could do more. But I suppose Randy Pausch said it best regarding a gifts that can never be repaid: "I could never adequately pay [them] back, so I just have to pay it forward. Go out and do for others what somebody did for you."

Anatomy lab is something that is far away from reality, from people who aren't med students...however, i hope this post shows that it's not. It crosses paths with you whenever you go see a doctor, whenever you walk into a healthcare setting. Somebody gave their life so that you may have one.