Make the most of your brain

Martha Nance, MD, Medical DirectorA friend sent this to me last week. It would be impossible for me to state it more clearly than she did. In this season of growth and renewal, I hope you consider her words carefully.

– Martha Nance, MD, Medical Director

Dad was a giver his entire life. He gave money and his time. He had a donor sticker on his driver’s license. And, Dad donated blood until he was told, “you are too old.” His Living Will specifically stated, “I wish to donate any organs and tissue …”

But, the gift he gave when he died is most inspiring. Dad left us last June, giving his brain tissue to Parkinson’s researchers all over the globe. Researchers from Minnesota to Italy, trying to help people with Parkinson’s, are studying his brain tissue today.

Dad is helping people that he never met … doing his best to help fight the disease. His gift is beyond priceless, and critical in finding the cure.

Locating a place to carry out his wish was difficult, but after some searching, I found the Brain Endowment Bank. The endowment bank’s process was clear, concise and handled in a caring and understanding way. The 20-minute procedure did not affect the visitation nor funeral. The family bears no costs.

According to Deborah C. Mash, MD, the Bank’s director of research, “The most significant discoveries come from the study of the human brain in health and disease. One brain can provide many scientists in academia and industry with specimens for their studies. We have learned more about the human brain in the past 20 years than throughout all of human history.”

Dad’s wish was to die with dignity, and I believe his gift to others gave him much more.

For more information
Brain Endowment Bank
University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine
1-800-682-7246