It's one of the hardest things to have to bury your child. It feels like it goes against the natural order of things. It can be hard to find items that suit a young life being cut short and help you to truly remember the spirit of the child you are burying. This site has a collection of ideas and thoughts that can be used when coming up with memorial services that celebrate the short life and personality of your child. It can be a useful resource for family, communities or schools plan sympathetic funeral services for children and their loved one.
Many people choose to donate some of their organs when they die by signing up to an organ donation scheme while they're still in good health. However, if you like the idea of others being able to benefit from your whole body when you die, you might like to consider donating yourself to science.
Preparation
If you decide that you'd like to donate your body to medical science, you must notify your next of kin and the executor of your will in writing. If you decide to make your funeral arrangements in advance, you must also tell the funeral director of your wishes.
The best way to arrange things is by contacting the medical school in your area that accepts whole body donations; your GP or funeral director will be able to find this information out for you. The medical school will provide you with a form to complete that can be kept safe with your will until such time as it's required.
Not all bodies are suitable for donation, so it's important that you put a 'plan B' in place with your funeral director. The acceptance of a body depends on the medical school's requirements at the time, the circumstances of the person's death and the condition they died from. If you don't die in hospital, your funeral director will need to store your body until the medical school makes a decision on whether they can accept it or not.
If your body is accepted by a medical school, they will liaise with your funeral director when your body is finally released for burial or cremation and will bear the cost of this. You and your family should be aware that your funeral may not actually take place for two or three years after your death, so you may wish to consider arranging a memorial service in the interim. You should also note that if your body is not accepted by the medical school, your estate will be responsible for your funeral expenses and arrangements.
Use of your body
Tomorrow's top surgeons learn advanced surgical techniques by using real bodies rather than artificial models. Donated bodies are also used for teaching students anatomical structure and function. All organisations that use donated bodies and organs have to be specially licensed to do so.
Medical schools are hugely appreciative of whole body donations. Without such generosity, it would be impossible to teach the advanced medical techniques that are used to save so many lives around the world.
In conclusion
If you'd like to donate your body to medical science when you die, make sure you discuss your wishes with your relatives before including this instruction in your will, and have a chat with your funeral director about what arrangements you will need to put in place. For more information, contact a local funeral home like Chapel of the Holy Family.
Share25 June 2015
