My best friend donated their body to a local medical school when they had a terminal illness. It wasn’t that difficult, just filled out a form and told their doctor. We were told the bodies were mostly used for dissection practice for new students, tho there were no guarantees about how they’d be used. Afterwards they got a free cremation.
Yeah, my friend had trained as a mortician, so they’d embalmed people on donated bodies, so it was like “giving back.” Just check the web pages of your local med school. Personally, I’m thinking of doing one of those “natural burials” where they don’t embalm or cremate, just stick me in the earth and plant a tree overhead.
My best friend also did embalming. It’s weird being their friends. Haha. But I’d be devastated if I lost him, I can’t even think about it. I love that your friend gave back like that ♥️
Funny thing is, my friend was worried that they wouldn’t be able to handle embalming. They’d been around death when they worked at a hospital, but they hadn’t cut anyone up before. The evening right after their first embalming session they were all wide-eyed and hyped, saying: “I did it!” They were so excited. They smelled slightly of formaldehyde.
Similar scenario with my buddy. He was a Baptist preacher from the time he was old enough to be told by his family what he would be doing with his life, up until he was about 25ish when he left that. He had done funerals and been there to comfort families who had lost someone, but he was very nervous about actually doing the cutting up and such. He told me all about it excitedly when he had finally done it.
Details I absolutely did not need haha
My best friend donated their body to a local medical school when they had a terminal illness. It wasn’t that difficult, just filled out a form and told their doctor. We were told the bodies were mostly used for dissection practice for new students, tho there were no guarantees about how they’d be used. Afterwards they got a free cremation.
I’d be cool with that. Let some college kids cut me up and maybe in that way I’ll save lives haha
Edit: just reread and realized. I’m so sorry about your friend <3
Yeah, my friend had trained as a mortician, so they’d embalmed people on donated bodies, so it was like “giving back.” Just check the web pages of your local med school. Personally, I’m thinking of doing one of those “natural burials” where they don’t embalm or cremate, just stick me in the earth and plant a tree overhead.
My best friend also did embalming. It’s weird being their friends. Haha. But I’d be devastated if I lost him, I can’t even think about it. I love that your friend gave back like that ♥️
Funny thing is, my friend was worried that they wouldn’t be able to handle embalming. They’d been around death when they worked at a hospital, but they hadn’t cut anyone up before. The evening right after their first embalming session they were all wide-eyed and hyped, saying: “I did it!” They were so excited. They smelled slightly of formaldehyde.
Similar scenario with my buddy. He was a Baptist preacher from the time he was old enough to be told by his family what he would be doing with his life, up until he was about 25ish when he left that. He had done funerals and been there to comfort families who had lost someone, but he was very nervous about actually doing the cutting up and such. He told me all about it excitedly when he had finally done it. Details I absolutely did not need haha