Post-mortem choices?

Sunday, I was talking to one of my good friends in France. He asked me: “As for your death, what have you chosen to do?” I said: “What do you mean?” He went, “Will you be buried or cremated?” To his surprise, I answered: “Neither. Since I’ve always feared that no one would attend my burial, I’m gonna give my body to science!” 

He was surprised but still appreciative. Of course, I told him that my next of kin would get the ashes when the medical students would be done with my body, but I guessed, this was an eye-opening conversation for him. I also explained that the money spent on traditional funerals and burial would fund a joyful party celebrating my life with my friends on this earth. 

I must also admit that I’m not a fan of funeral directors that prey on grief-stricken family members. First and foremost, it’s obvious that donating a body goes a long way in training future doctors and surgeons that can practice anatomy, surgical procedures, and refine their skills realistically, for better patient care down the road. If anything, it’s also good to know that my body will be useful for once!. 

Sure there’s the emotional issue involved in skipping an official funeral as the body will be taken right away to be used for medical education. Some, especially the next of kin, can find the logistics emotionally hard to take, but we plan to explore this aspect a bit further before solidifying our decision… 

We’ll carefully imagine what the process could be like, weigh the pros and cons, discuss our choice with our family in advance and make a decision we feel good about...