Relationships

‘I want to donate my body to science but don’t want my family to suffer’

May 19, 2018

The grandma worries what will happen if she donates her body to medical science.

A grandma has revealed she’s worried for her family after deciding she wants to donate her body to medical science when she dies – sparking an outpouring of support and personal experiences from other grandparents, who have experienced the same thing.

While many people ensure they play a role in their own end of life planning, others find it too morbid and prefer to leave it alone. However, one gran has revealed she’s already considering her options – and wants advice on what would happen, and whether she’d be given a funeral.

Taking to grandparenting forum Gransnet, the woman revealed she’s considering donating her body, but isn’t sure how it would work – and whether her family would be able to have a traditional funeral.

“From what I understand there would, obviously, be no funeral in the accepted way but nothing to stop loved ones having a life celebration,” she wrote.

“I’d be truly grateful if anyone could share their experiences with me. Either they have arranged this or has experience of a loved one who has and, when the time came, was it relatively straight forward?” She asked.

“I don’t want to leave my next of kin with a headache!”

It got a huge response from other grandparents, who were either considering the same option, or who had a loved one who was.

Many warned that the lady’s body may simply not be accepted, due to a lot of people choosing to do the same thing, so told her to make other arrangements as a back up – as well as a funeral fund.

One woman said both her and her partner had chosen to do it, and commented: “A memorial service can be carried out which is what we are doing and ashes returned if requested for interment into the family grave or remembrance garden.”

Another added: “This is highly commendable and as an ex nurse with thoughts very much still in the Medical field, this is something I would have liked to do.

“However with all the operation scars and all else on my body, including varicose veins!! I know full well I would be rejected so a course I have not even attempted even to take my thoughts any further.”

Another gran revealed both her parents wished to do it, but in the end only her father was accepted at the time.

“It was such a relief not having to have a funeral for my father. He certainly didn’t want one,” she explained. “Now, of course I know that theres’s no need to have a funeral anyway, but we didn’t know then, and my mother’s was a bit farcical, since she had outlived all of her friends and most of her relations, and certainly had no religious faith.”

Meanwhile, another user gave some surprising advice of her own, as she revealed people with varicose veins can’t be accepted. She commented: “My husband plans to do this. I think he got in touch with our local hospital and they sent him all the forms and so on. They are a bit fussy! If you have varicose veins and some other complaints/diseases they will not accept you.”

Revealing her own worry that her body wouldn’t be accepted, another user added: “Personally I would rather donate any of my usable bits and pieces to help the living.”