If you are interested in donating your body to science and making a contribution that benefits others, MedCure is one of the oldest and most respected programs to do so. If you quality for a body donation, MedCure will arrange for your body to be donated, and then will organize the rest of the remains to be cremated and returned to the family within 4-6 weeks for no cost. If you would like to know more, please call (866) 437-9526 and someone will be able to assist you and answer any questions.
Many people consider donating their body to science in lieu of choosing a funeral followed by burial in a cemetery. Body donation (or medical donation, as it is sometimes called), has advantages and disadvantages
Advantages of donating your body to science
One of the chief advantages related to donating your body to science is that this option is often considerably less expensive than other funeral options. By donating your body to science, you avoid costs associated with body burial in a cemetery. You may also be able to lower or reduce costs related to the headstone or memorial marker.
A body donation can also be fairly simple to arrange: normally you file basic paperwork with a donor program (usually a medical school) and then notify the donor program immediately following the death. Representatives from the medical school will dispatch professionals to pick up the decedent and transport the body back to the medical school.
Moreover, the donor program or medical school accepting the body usually takes full responsibility for handling the eventual cremation and burial tasks. Families are usually given the option of having cremated remains buried at the school site or returned to the family once the school is finished using the body for teaching purposes.
Donating your body to medical science also has an altruistic advantage in that your donation helps train future doctors and surgeons and may help find cures to a variety of diseases. While this may not be a high priority in some families, other families take solace in the fact that they are able to make a positive impact on future generations.