Hopefully that title doesn't sound too flip or disrespectful, I don't mean it that way.
I discovered this relatively little-known frugal fact when my brother was nearing the end of his time (cancer). He had wanted to donate his body to a forensics research facility (specifically the Body Farm in Knoxville TN), so I spent some time researching this for him.
After much scouring of the internet, I learned that most research/forensic training grounds/hospitals that will accept a full body donation do not provide any assistance with transport, which can be difficult and expensive for family to organize. Have you ever tried to arrange interstate transportation for the deceased? Bro was in CA, so transport to TN was pretty much nixed.
More searching led me to medcure.org. They are a national organization with a network of five locations in the US. They work with local mortuaries to pick up and transport bodies to their facilities, where organs and tissues for study are recovered and matched to meet medical science needs while strictly following federal and state legal requirements*.
This is all at zero cost to the deceased and family. If you're not aware, cremation alone can run up to $2,000.00. Caskets and all of that stuff are also incredibly expensive for something you're going to plant in the ground.
If not wasting money after you die is your thing, and you aren't sentimental or bound to any particular burial rituals, this might be for you. We used them for my dad as well, and most of my siblings are now registered. I know there are other similar companies, just thought I'd share my good experience with this one.
BTW, they will return the ashes to you if you request it, or distribute them at sea.
EDIT: For clarification, this is non-transplant donation.
*from their website; they explained it better than I could.
April 13, 2018 at 02:18PM
