Anyone carry an organ or body donation card?

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In my youth I used to think it would be horrible to have my body cut up for autopsy or used as spare parts after my death. Even being cremated sounded horrible. Such squeamishness has passed with the years and today I've received my corpse donation card. After I die my body will be left to the local university hospital's anatomy department for the student doctors to dissect, study and do with as they wish. Hopefully it will help them with their studies and help them to become better doctors and surgeons in the future.

I don't care what happens to my fingernails trimmings after clipping them, nor to my hair after it is cut. I see no difference with the rest of my body after it is dead. It might as well serve a useful purpose.

What do others think about leaving their organs or their entire body to medical science?

It's been my wish for as long as I can remember, to donate my remains to medical research (after anything useable has been donated to anyone who needs a transplant). I don't want a funeral, and no fanfare. My money and property are in a living trust with very explicit directives, so nobody will need to get in a disagreement about that stuff either . God willing; I hope these things don't come up for 50+ years...

Charles

I don't have that card or whatever is equivalent to that in this country, but I agree with the idea.

Once dead, the body might as well be used to save lives and for the advancement of medical technology etc. I don't need a funeral or anything.

I've thought about it but just haven't pursued the paperwork. I'm not sure if that needs to be included in someone's Will or just get the proper card.

I do see information promoting organ donation, but not much on specifically donating my corpse for research.

It may differ from country to country. I did a google search and all I needed to do here in France was simply send a short note to the local University Hospital and they sent me a card to sign and carry around with me. Simple as that. In other countries a simple email or entry on a web-form may be all that is required to receive such a card.

I have an organ donation sticker on my driver's license, but I'm not sure how firmly I'm invested in the idea. In a book I read "Stiff- The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers" It talked about how you're more likely to be sliced up fifty different ways to fifty different places. I'm sure that if you very specifically specify where you want to go they must honor it, but medical research is a very broad term in reality. I'm still keeping my sticker though.

My kids and I all have it on our driver's license card.My foster dad received a heart transplant,Agent Orange destroyed his heart.If it had not been for a donor we would not have him with us.

I always figured that I am not a tremendously useful person alive, I might as well be of some use once I'm dead.

Plus I hate waste. I have looked after my body, if someone else can make good use of those organs, that is much better than just burning or burying them.

Well, you can't take it with you, so if there is anything useful left, someone else may as well use it.

Mind you, I intend to wear it out as much as possible first.

Cheers