The Fawcett Center auditorium was filled with people who didn’t know each other Sunday afternoon, but each had something very important in common.
Their family members or friends died and donated their bodies to medical science at Ohio State, and the College of Medicine gave a memorial service to honor their donation.
The service also gave families a sense of closure and an opportunity to heal from their losses.
Each deceased person whose family provided photos was part of a slideshow presentation. The service also included music and comments from students who learned valuable lessons from their donations.
Marna Burwell’s husband was one of the donors. Clarence Burwell died in August at the age of 76 after a cardiac arrest.
“For me, it’s letting the kids say thank you to us for what he did,” Burwell said.
Burwell drove from Mount Vernon for the memorial.
“I think it’s important,” she said.
Burwell has made a decision to donate her body. So has her brother-in-law and sister.
Ann Durbin was at the memorial to remember her father-in-law. He died of small-cell lung cancer.
“Ohio State was a really big part of his life,” Durbin said. “He loved Ohio State and it was really so fitting.”
Miyoko Whitney was there to be with the family of her friend.
David Phillips, an attorney from Chillicothe, had Alzheimer’s disease when he died.
“It’s so sad, first he lost speech,” Whitney said. “I hope everyone donates so they could figure out why they get the disease.”
Phillips had talked Whitney into signing up to donate her body to science.
Closure is an important part of the event.
“For some of the families, it kind of serves as a funeral,” said Megan Conroy, a medical student who co-chaired the event.
Some families didn’t know or understand what was happening with the donation, she said.
For the students, the donations provided an opportunity to learn about human anatomy.
“This gift that was given to us has shaped the professionals we will become,” said Claire Tolbert, another medical student who co-chaired the event.
Families should find comfort in their loved ones’ gifts, said Robert DePhilip, an associate professor of anatomy.
“On the first day, I will tell the class they are about to embark on a life-changing experience,” DePhilip said.
The memorial also included singing by medical students and a violin and piano recital.
At the end of the memorial, each family member received a white rose, a candle and a packet of wildflower seeds to plant in honor of their loved one. About half of the donors’ families for the year gave a positive response that they would attend the memorial.
In all, about 500 people attended the event.
It was an entirely student-run memorial, paid for by fundraising and grants from the IPC and Medical alumni societies, Conroy said.
But not every medical school does it, Conroy said.
During the past year, about 170 people donated their bodies to science, said Connie Young, an office administrator for the division of anatomy.
Donors’ families do have a small cost involved with the donation — they have to pay transportation costs from the funeral home to OSU, Young said.
Those costs can be $250 or more, she said.
For students and staff receiving the donation, the donations provide learning opportunities that will help students in the future.
Dana Schroeder, director of chaplaincy and clinical pastoral education, reminded everyone that the gift of donation provided a sense of community, teamwork, humility and generosity.
Those interested in donating their bodies to science can contact Connie Young for more information at 292-4832.
