Families Remember Their Loved Ones
(April 29, 2011) AURORA - They came on a cold and windy day from as far away as San Francisco to remember the father, the mother, the sister or the brother who lives so vividly in their memory.
Gathered on the green lawn of Boettcher Commons at Anschutz Medical Campus, families attending the annual Anatomical Donor Memorial Ceremony told first-year students that the bodies they dissected in cadaver lab were so much more than an important learning tool; they were people who were cherished and are missed still today.
There was the father, who loved science and giving unsolicited advice. "Bystanders were not immune to his opinions," his daughter said, laughing.
A Vietnam veteran hated hospitals most of his life, but warmed to doctors once he found the Veteran's Administration health system. "He was so impressed with their care that he donated his body to the school," his brother said. "I think it's funny that someone who never wanted to go to the hospital is going to make sure that future doctors can do a good job."
A woman who "knitted baby booties by the thousands" had always insisted that she would donate her body to science - a fact that bothered her son. "I asked her why, and she said she had had so many surgeries - she thought she would be interesting," he remembered, listing: "Gallbladder, hysterectomy, knee replacement, hip replacement, two pig valves for her heart and a mechanical valve."
One woman talked about her father, "a charming fellow and very handsome. I think he would have taken offense to the term gross anatomy," she said, getting a laugh. "One of the reasons he donated his body is he liked the idea of a bunch of beautiful young doctors fondling him."
And there was the romantic who called his wife "Sunshine" and brought her yellow roses and who said, when he found out he'd be able to donate his body to the School of Medicine, "Great. I can be a teacher for a little bit longer."
The idea of donors as teachers was a theme taken up by the four students who spoke at the ceremony, representing the schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Physical Therapy and Child Health Associate/Physician Assistant. The annual event started in 1986, when students started bringing flowers to the last day of anatomy class to thank the deceased for their generous educational gift.
"Not only do we as students benefit, but so will the thousands of patients we will see over the course of our careers," said Ashley Maciulaitis, a physical therapy student.
As she worked on her donor's body, she found herself wondering "What he did for fun, what his job was, and what his family was like. But I did know some things about him: He was generous, he cared about humanity."
She assured families that the bodies were treated respectfully and with great care.
"Each night after we finished our work together, we’d say goodnight to him and get him ready for the next day, as if we were tucking him into his bed."