Your Body Is Still Useful After Death

Things are hectic once again in the workaday world. But yesterday in the mail, I received my ID/instruction card for donating my body to the local medical school. No, not right away! This is all part of plans for what do with whatever's left when I pass on from this consensual reality. I've decided to donate my carcass to science.

When I was in high school, we visited a medical school, and I was fascinated by the cadavers and what the med students were doing. In fact, when I first entered college, I was going pre-med, but then changed my mind (too much chemistry! ugh!). While others in my class were totally grossed out, I was totally engrossed.

So that's part of why I wanted to donate my body. Science is so important, and we still have so much to learn about how our bodies work. So maybe I can help contribute in this way--reveal how a process works or how a disease unfolds or simply just allow a student to discover and experiment.

Seems most medical schools have similar bequeathal programs, but if you're interested, do your homework since they might have specific restrictions or instructions for your body. For example, in my case, my family or estate will have to pay for transportation costs of my body to the school. And the school prefers to do the embalming since they have different needs than your average funeral home. And there can't be a body present at a funeral showing since the school will need the body right away before it gets all juicy and smelly. Kinda takes away from the classroom experience, you know. And if you're mangled in some woodchipper accident, that renders your body unacceptable--so be careful!

I was previously an organ donor, but giving the entire body seems like it might do more good in the long-term. Maybe this sounds harsh but I seem to value understanding and knowledge more over saving a life. Someone may need a kidney, but maybe it's their time to go. I'm not always a fan of extending life by any means possible. Truth be told, they'll eventually die anyway (see, told you it was harsh). But knowledge lives on and can help countless numbers of people. I had to decide between the two since the local medical school won't accept a body bequeathal if organs (except eyes) have been removed (and my eyes are already shot).

I've told my family and my partner about my decision, and they're cool with it and have signed their consent forms. Once the medical school is done with me (2 weeks to up to 2 years), they'll cremate the remains and return the ashes to the family. So eventually, yeah, I'll be ground up.

I've never wanted an expensive, fancy casket anyway that's just going to be put into the ground. Seems a waste of resources and money. Of course, some say cremation of embalmed remains does release harmful chemicals, including mercury from silver dental fillings. And some say concerns are overblown. I'm hoping to offset this by banking instead on what med students will learn using what's left of me. And cremation ideally takes up less space, depending on what you ultimately do with the ashes.

So that means that I won't have a viewing of the body (always found that creepy and slightly silly: "It looks just like her!" Really? Were you expecting someone else?). Instead I want just a memorial service with photos of me when I was alive and kicking. Seems more appropriate.

What about my ashes? I'm still trying to figure out what to do with those. As I've said before, you need to have plans or you'll end up on someone's closet behind the old board games. More later.

Your Body Is Still Useful After Death

Things are hectic once again in the workaday world. But yesterday in the mail, I received my ID/instruction card for donating my body to the local medical school. No, not right away! This is all part of plans for what do with whatever's left when I pass on from this consensual reality. I've decided to donate my carcass to science.

When I was in high school, we visited a medical school, and I was fascinated by the cadavers and what the med students were doing. In fact, when I first entered college, I was going pre-med, but then changed my mind (too much chemistry! ugh!). While others in my class were totally grossed out, I was totally engrossed.

So that's part of why I wanted to donate my body. Science is so important, and we still have so much to learn about how our bodies work. So maybe I can help contribute in this way--reveal how a process works or how a disease unfolds or simply just allow a student to discover and experiment.

Seems most medical schools have similar bequeathal programs, but if you're interested, do your homework since they might have specific restrictions or instructions for your body. For example, in my case, my family or estate will have to pay for transportation costs of my body to the school. And the school prefers to do the embalming since they have different needs than your average funeral home. And there can't be a body present at a funeral showing since the school will need the body right away before it gets all juicy and smelly. Kinda takes away from the classroom experience, you know. And if you're mangled in some woodchipper accident, that renders your body unacceptable--so be careful!

I was previously an organ donor, but giving the entire body seems like it might do more good in the long-term. Maybe this sounds harsh but I seem to value understanding and knowledge more over saving a life. Someone may need a kidney, but maybe it's their time to go. I'm not always a fan of extending life by any means possible. Truth be told, they'll eventually die anyway (see, told you it was harsh). But knowledge lives on and can help countless numbers of people. I had to decide between the two since the local medical school won't accept a body bequeathal if organs (except eyes) have been removed (and my eyes are already shot).

I've told my family and my partner about my decision, and they're cool with it and have signed their consent forms. Once the medical school is done with me (2 weeks to up to 2 years), they'll cremate the remains and return the ashes to the family. So eventually, yeah, I'll be ground up.

I've never wanted an expensive, fancy casket anyway that's just going to be put into the ground. Seems a waste of resources and money. Of course, some say cremation of embalmed remains does release harmful chemicals, including mercury from silver dental fillings. And some say concerns are overblown. I'm hoping to offset this by banking instead on what med students will learn using what's left of me. And cremation ideally takes up less space, depending on what you ultimately do with the ashes.

So that means that I won't have a viewing of the body (always found that creepy and slightly silly: "It looks just like her!" Really? Were you expecting someone else?). Instead I want just a memorial service with photos of me when I was alive and kicking. Seems more appropriate.

What about my ashes? I'm still trying to figure out what to do with those. As I've said before, you need to have plans or you'll end up on someone's closet behind the old board games. More later.

Are You Ready to Die?

Have you made your funeral plans? Decided what do with your earthly remains? Not exactly a cocktail conversation, but it's something we all must--or should--think about before we actually kick the bucket. Otherwise, it's left to our family, and they'll put you in that dress you absolutely hated or bury you in some tacky, gilt coffin in a bleak cemetery next to a six-lane highway!

Not that you can do anything about it. You're dead, after all. You probably wouldn't even care, right? Nonetheless, these things do matter to us humans, at least while we're still alive and kicking.

So I've been thinking about my own demise and trying to make plans that reflect who I am and what I consider my values. I do believe that how we bury or otherwise dispose of ourselves accurately reflects what we think about life (and death) and shows what kind of person we were. Just ask any archaeologist.

I plan to walk you through my own decisions and thoughts as I go through this process, and I hope to make it a little humorous, whenever possible. Feel free to share if you've made plans--or why you haven't.

'Tis the Season to Visit the Cemetery
What set all this in motion was a visit with my dad over Christmas. We had an afternoon and nothing planned, so we decided to visit some nearby relatives---except they were all either sick or not home. So we're driving around the countryside trying to decide what to do next when my dad asks if he's ever shown me where his burial plot is. He hadn't, so we headed to the cemetery, which was close by (a disclaimer: the photo in this post is of a peaceful-looking cemetery in Dallas, Texas).

I thought it would be odd to go see where my dad will eventually end up, but it wasn't. It was actually comforting. He knew right where the plot was. We drove into the cemetery and right up to it. He explained that he had 2 plots, one for himself and one for his wife (although I'd be happy shooting her ashes out of a cannon, but that's another story!). He's had the plot for years, and it's paid for except the fees to open and close the plot. And the fees! Dying can be expensive, and I'll get to that.

Standing there looking at the plot was humbling, however, and a little sad. The plot is right next to a driveway through the cemetary and a sidewalk, so it was like condensing my dad's life into this small, nondescript square of earth. But the cemetery is rural, quiet and peaceful, and while he won't really care once he's in the ground, I think it would be a comforting place to revisit and remember him.

Dad wanted to stop by the cemetery office to check on his remaining payments, so off we went across the main street. The office was small but cheerfully decorated for the holiday with a Christmas tree and several red, leafy poinsettias. We spoke to a friendly woman who went through all the records with us. I took her business card so I'd have contact info. Dad seems healthy as a horse but he is in his early 80s now, so the truth is, his time on this earth is running out, and it's good to be prepared.

Everything checked out, and we left. It was helpful to see dad so relatively jovial about all this (I think he passed some of that on to me). And it got me to thinking about my own final resting place. Where did I want to be buried? Which cemetery? Did I want burial or cremation? A cremation plot or a columbarium? And what about a funeral or memorial service? And who would pay for all of this? I quickly realized that I had specific opinions about all of these questions, and also realized that I didn't want to leave it all to the whims of my relatives or just assume it would be paid for by the magic cash fairy.

Next time: Made up like Madame Tussaud's or oven-baked?

Are You Ready to Die?

Have you made your funeral plans? Decided what do with your earthly remains? Not exactly a cocktail conversation, but it's something we all must--or should--think about before we actually kick the bucket. Otherwise, it's left to our family, and they'll put you in that dress you absolutely hated or bury you in some tacky, gilt coffin in a bleak cemetery next to a six-lane highway!

Not that you can do anything about it. You're dead, after all. You probably wouldn't even care, right? Nonetheless, these things do matter to us humans, at least while we're still alive and kicking.

So I've been thinking about my own demise and trying to make plans that reflect who I am and what I consider my values. I do believe that how we bury or otherwise dispose of ourselves accurately reflects what we think about life (and death) and shows what kind of person we were. Just ask any archaeologist.

I plan to walk you through my own decisions and thoughts as I go through this process, and I hope to make it a little humorous, whenever possible. Feel free to share if you've made plans--or why you haven't.

'Tis the Season to Visit the Cemetery
What set all this in motion was a visit with my dad over Christmas. We had an afternoon and nothing planned, so we decided to visit some nearby relatives---except they were all either sick or not home. So we're driving around the countryside trying to decide what to do next when my dad asks if he's ever shown me where his burial plot is. He hadn't, so we headed to the cemetery, which was close by (a disclaimer: the photo in this post is of a peaceful-looking cemetery in Dallas, Texas).

I thought it would be odd to go see where my dad will eventually end up, but it wasn't. It was actually comforting. He knew right where the plot was. We drove into the cemetery and right up to it. He explained that he had 2 plots, one for himself and one for his wife (although I'd be happy shooting her ashes out of a cannon, but that's another story!). He's had the plot for years, and it's paid for except the fees to open and close the plot. And the fees! Dying can be expensive, and I'll get to that.

Standing there looking at the plot was humbling, however, and a little sad. The plot is right next to a driveway through the cemetary and a sidewalk, so it was like condensing my dad's life into this small, nondescript square of earth. But the cemetery is rural, quiet and peaceful, and while he won't really care once he's in the ground, I think it would be a comforting place to revisit and remember him.

Dad wanted to stop by the cemetery office to check on his remaining payments, so off we went across the main street. The office was small but cheerfully decorated for the holiday with a Christmas tree and several red, leafy poinsettias. We spoke to a friendly woman who went through all the records with us. I took her business card so I'd have contact info. Dad seems healthy as a horse but he is in his early 80s now, so the truth is, his time on this earth is running out, and it's good to be prepared.

Everything checked out, and we left. It was helpful to see dad so relatively jovial about all this (I think he passed some of that on to me). And it got me to thinking about my own final resting place. Where did I want to be buried? Which cemetery? Did I want burial or cremation? A cremation plot or a columbarium? And what about a funeral or memorial service? And who would pay for all of this? I quickly realized that I had specific opinions about all of these questions, and also realized that I didn't want to leave it all to the whims of my relatives or just assume it would be paid for by the magic cash fairy.

Next time: Made up like Madame Tussaud's or oven-baked?