As frightening as it may feel, it is important to keep in mind that one day we will all pass away. A near-universal goal we share as humans is to leave the world a better place than how we’ve found it. For many of us, the way in which we can best enrich the world may have us stumped and it could be what have you wondering about whole body donation in the first place.
The choice to donate your body to research would be a completely selfless act that could potentially have a long-lasting impact when it comes to research, discovery, and education. This truly is not going to feel like the right thing for everyone, even though there are societal benefits to donating your body, so here is additional information on the benefits of doing so.
For The Greater Good
A major benefit of donating your body to science is the idea that your body alone could be the breakthrough catalyst for a medical discovery that plagues our modern world, like Alzheimer’s or cancer. Of course, there is no guarantee of that happening and the likelihood of it will depend on your health at the time of your passing, any long-term health issues you may have had, and the exact reason you may have passed away.
Without contributions like the one you are considering, there would be fewer medical advancements in learning how diseases work and how to treat them. A donated body will help in learning more about anatomy, pathology, and how someone with your health, height, and weight functioned.
Educational Purposes
Another benefit of donating your body is to help educate those who will be currently in pursuit of medical knowledge. Medical students, doctors, and other professionals furthering their expertise and education need to continue in their study of anatomy to better understand and further advance the ways in which they care for current patients and the patients of tomorrow.
Donated bodies provide a priceless resource for those devoting their lives to bettering the world through medicine. For a tangible example of how your body may be used, donated bodies are used to test and demonstrate the effectiveness of different surgical techniques to see how various procedures can be advanced and improved.
Financial Ease
Even without concern for aiding medical advancements, there are pragmatic reasons for donating your body to science with a major one being to leave your loved ones with fewer funeral expenses. Costs for a memorial service and funeral add up quickly and donating your body will help in eliminating some of the burdens.
With the donation, there is no need for a burial, a casket, or the embalming of your body. Those aspects of a funeral alone can cost thousands of dollars. Outside of money, not having to make the proper arrangements for your body will also take the burden of planning off of your loved ones as they mourn your loss.
