Having a purpose in life is what kept Emerson Lynn getting up each day long after most people retire. He liked to feel useful. DOES THE THOUGHT of willing your body to medical science give you the willies?
So it was fitting that when he died last week at age 88, he would leave his body to medical science. “I can keep being productive even after I’m dead!” he said, and was thrilled at the thought.
The University of Kansas School of Medicine received his body within hours of his death through its Willed Body Program.
“Willing a body to science is one of the most personal and honorable gifts an individual can make,” wrote Dr. Dal R. Abrahamson, chair of the anatomy and cell biology department, in a letter to the family.
“We are grateful for the selfless gift of education that each donor makes to this program. All bodies donated … are used only for legitimate human anatomical education purposes and/or ethical medical research.”
The letter ended with condolences and an invitation to attend a ceremony this fall in tribute to those who willed their bodies to science.
Bodies that are donated to university programs like KU’s are used to teach future doctors, nurses and scientists the relationship between the systems and structures of the human body. Sometimes they’re used to discover new surgical procedures.
You can’t be too old to donate; but certain diseases preclude a body being accepted, including tuberculosis, HIV, hepatitis and Creutzfeldt-Jacobs, a disease of the brain. Obesity also prevents donations in most cases.
Get over it.
Think ahead, do the paper work, and find a garden that will benefit from your ashes. The truly final last gift.
— Susan Lynn
