First-year medical student Alexander Connelly walked into his anatomy class a few months ago feeling intimidated and a little frightened by the human body that lay in front of him.
Connelly and three of his peers mulled over who should be the first to lift the sheet off the cadaver, which was placed on a stainless steel table.
“I was hesitant to approach or touch him,” Connelly told a crowd of more than 200 people on May 4 at the University of Colorado Hospital’s annual Donor Memorial Ceremony. “I felt as if he would sit up and scold me for trying to approach him with a scalpel.”
Over time, Connelly said the nervousness subsided, and the group of lab students began to feel a deep, personal connection to the anonymous body.
“I began wondering what his life would have been, and as I wondered more and more, he progressed in my mind from an educational instrument to becoming one of my greatest teachers,” Connelly said.
Family members of those who donated their bodies to science listened intently to Connelly’s words at the emotional Donor Memorial Service, as their tears, and the tears of students, flowed freely.
Students and family members spoke of the significance of donors to the medical community.
“The power of (the donor’s) decision is far greater than many of us initially realize,” Connelly said.
About 130 to 150 bodies are donated for instruction at the University of Colorado Hospital annually. Between four and eight students are assigned to each body. Thirteen bodies are used for first-year dental students, 22 for medical students, and 28 for the first- and second-year physical therapy programs. Many details of the donor body’s life are withheld from the students, including their names.
Normally, students only know the donor’s age and cause of death.
It’s not unusual for students to develop strong bonds with the donor body.
Three other medical students took the stage at the Donor Memorial Service and shared their poignant encounters with bodies in their anatomy courses.
Luke Swank, a second-year medical student who wants to become a physician’s assistant, said his group named their donor body “Gigi.”
“A huge sense of love grew for this wonderful lady,” Swank said.
Swank read aloud a letter he wrote to Gigi at the end of his class.
“You’ve given a gift that will keep on giving,” he wrote in the letter. “My knowledge of the human body was increased infinitely due to that gift, and hopefully due to that knowledge, I can improve others’ lives.”
For Corbyn Wierzbinski, a second-year medical student in the physical therapy program, working with a cadaver helped her form a deep appreciation for the human body.
“Life leaves marks upon the body, and to understand the marks, we have to appreciate the life,” she said. “It was amazing to learn so much from someone I did not know.”
Families of donors were so touched by the students’ speeches that they felt compelled to share stories as well.
Russell Smith, a Denver resident, said his mother’s dying wish was that her body be used for medical research.
Decades ago, Russell started junior college as a pre-med major, and took a human anatomy class himself.
“The human body makes the space shuttle look like a Tinker Toy,” he said.
He was impressed with the students’ respect for the bodies. Russell’s mother, who died of cancer, was born in 1921 and raised three sons. Russell described her as a “vibrant redhead” who was so strikingly beautiful that she stopped traffic.
“When you find a young lady with two replaced knees and who had a mastectomy, picture that body with vibrant red hair, green eyes, and a smile that would dazzle you,” he said.
Aurora resident Elizabeth Meyer, whose uncle donated his body, said he was an inherently generous person. Sounds of laughter resounded through the room as she told the audience that after she got engaged, her uncle wanted to help her look for wedding dresses.
“I pulled up to the driveway at about 8:55 and there’s Uncle Allen out there, dressed in a shirt and tie, ready to go wedding-dress shopping with me,” she said.
The man was a teacher in both life and death.
“His legacy continues on today,” Meyer said.
To learn how to donate your body, visit: ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/medicalschool/departments/CellDevelopmentalBiology/anatomicalboard/Pages/default.aspx
Reach reporter Sara Castellanos at 720-449-9036 or sara@aurorasentinel.com.