Knocking on Heaven’s Door:
The First Thing You Do…

Do you want Igor stealing your body parts like he did in the movie Young Frankenstein? Wouldn’t you rather have a say about where your parts will go???

Preface Links

If you know you’re going to die but don’t like to think about it – which pretty much means everybody – these links are just what the Grim Reaper ordered.
Let’s get started …

UK – Tired of the same old coffins? http://www.crazycoffins.co.uk/

Famous folks die too!  http://www.celebritydeathbeeper.com/

Did You Know…

• Organs cannot be stored and must be used within hours of removing them from the donor’s body so time is of the essence.
• Signing a Uniform Donor Card or noting your choice on your driver’s license is the first step but this does not guarantee that your organs will be donated.
• What if you die and no one can find your wallet? Or, in the UK, no one checks the Organ Donation Register, the national database?
  
  It’s important to have your wishes written down and to let your family know –  hospitals will ask next of kin for permission. 

Notes & Updates

If you are considering donating your body to science ( a very good thing to do) you should know that the whole body parts industry is not well regulated and body “chop shops” abound.  For more about this practice, read the NY Post article https://nypost.com/2017/10/24/anyone-can-make-big-money-selling-chopped-up-bodies/ 

NOTE For anatomical donation of a body to science – one can no longer choose the medical school or facility who will work with the body.  All body donations MUST go through The Virginia State Anatomical Program.  Here is the link:  http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/medical-examiner/vsap/

If a link is broken, please let me know by sending an email to information@deathforbeginners.com

The websites for goods and services are offered for your interest and exploration. The the act of posting them here is not an endorsement. There are some “goods and services” sites with whom I have had positive interaction and these sites are noted by the following: !!!

Interesting article and a new way of disposition. “A Burial Machine That Will Freeze Your Corpse, Vibrate It to Dust, and Turn It Into Soil”  http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/a-burial-machine-that-will-freeze-your-corpse-vibrate-it-to-dust-and-turn-it-into-soil?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=atlas-page

Tour The Body Farm 

Body Bequeathing

• The American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB), the nationally recognized accrediting group for tissue banks. https://www.aatb.org/?q=about-us  
• The Anatomical Board, State of Florida College of Medicine https://anatbd.acb.med.ufl.edu/usprograms/ 
• American Association of Anatomists as come up with a policy for the handling of donated bodies. https://www.anatomy.org/AAA/About-AAA/What-Is-Anatomy/Body-Donation-Policy.aspx
• Medcure, accredited  AATB member  http://medcure.org
• The Forensic Anthropology Center, The University of Tennessee https://fac.utk.edu 
• Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act (2006) Revised/Amended 2008 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5989258_The_United_States_Revised_Uniform_Anatomical_Gift_Act_2006_New_challenges_to_balancing_patient_rights_and_physician_responsibilities
  
• Sam Houston State University Forensic Science Facility http://www.cjcenter.org/stafs/index.html
• The Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State University in San Marcos, TX http://www.txstate.edu/anthropology/facts/
• Colorado Mesa University https://www.coloradomesa.edu/forensic-investigation-research-station/donations.html  
• UK – Donating your body, Brit style https://www.hta.gov.uk/donating-your-body     

Organ Donation

• Donate Life America http://donatelife.net
  
• Gift of Life Donor Program https://www.organdonor.gov/about/donors/religion.html
•  The official U.S. government web site for organ and tissue donation http://www.organdonor.gov/
•  UK – Transplant – NHSBT – Organ Donation http://www.uktransplant.org.uk/ukt/

Direct Disposition

• The Brain That Wouldn’t  Die YouTube movie trailer
  
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• The National Association of Attorneys General http://www.naag.org/
• UK – What to do after a death – England, Wales and Northern Ireland http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/family_parent/family/what_to_do_after_a_death.htm

Self-service

• Final Passages www.finalpassages.org
• The Funeral Consumers Alliance- state laws https://funerals.org/?consumers=how-to-arrange-a-home-funeral
• UK – Article: How to Obtain DNA Testing – Pros & Cons http://www.exploredna.co.uk/obtaining-your-dna-testing.html

Traditional Care

• How to Plan A Funeral EHow.com/how_3455_funeral.html
• How to Plan an Affordable Funeral  https://www.usurnsonline.com/funeral-resources/frugal-funeral-planning-50-tips-funeral-budget/
  
• The Funeral Consumers Alliance- all aspects of funeral regulation  !!!
  http://www.funerals.org/

Cryonics

• CBS News report “Ted Williams Frozen In Two Pieces: Meant To Be Frozen In Time; Head Decapitated, Cracked, DNA Missing” https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ted-williams-frozen-in-two-pieces/
• Photo courtesy of the Cryonics Institute Cryonics.org
• The Alcor Life Extension Foundation http://www.alcor.org/index.html
• UK – Alcor https://www.alcor.org 
• The American Cryonics Society AmericanCryonics.org
• The Cryonics Society www.cryonicssociety.org/index.html
• UK – Cryonics https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/project-focus-cryonics-who-wants-to-live-forever
• Cryonics Meetup Groups http://cryonics.meetup.com/

• Send your DNA to the Moon:  You don’t have to be an astronaut or a billionaire to go to space. Now you can send a piece of you to the Moon. You’ll be one of the few humans with their DNA on another world. Save your genetic blueprint for the future. https://lifeship.com/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Q1%2FQ2%20Prospecting%20-%20D&utm_content=Viewed%20%26%20Purchased%20-%20D_Go%20To%20The%20Moon&fbclid=IwAR0guvcC-uxBjargET-QJBAgLqFR183NTJFDWzTLE9iwOBfb25-vSQ0ET8Q

• Body Composting – Natural Organic Reduction NOR http://• Herland Forest Natural Burial Cemetery NOR http://www.herlandforest.org/human-composting/
• Herland Forest Natural Burial Cemetery NOR http://www.herlandforest.org/human-composting/
• Good article on NOR  https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/now-you-can-compost-human-bodies-too
• Recompose – company who does ecological death care  https://recompose.life

The Death Doula / Death Midwife

• The International End of Life Doula Association (INELDA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing deeper meaning and greater comfort to dying people and loved ones in the last days of life.    https://www.inelda.org
• I Visited a Death Midwife—and I Wish I’d Known About Her Sooner – purewow.com/wellness/death-midwife

Books

• Death Nesting: Ancient & Modern Death Doula Techniques, Mindfulness Practices and Herbal Care by Anne-Marie Keppel & Sandra Lory, Illustrated edition, (Anne-Marie Keppel, November 13, 2019)
• Midwife for Souls: Spiritual Care for the Dying by Kathy Kalina, (Pauline Books & Media; Revised ed. edition, January 2, 2007)
• Accompanying the Dying: Practical, Heart-Centered Wisdom for End-Of-Life Doulas and Health Care Advocates by Deanna Cochran, (Sacred Life Publishers, February 15, 2019)
• Finding Peace at the End of Life: A Death Doula’s Guide for Families and Caregivers by Henry Fersko-Weiss LCSW, (Red Wheel, August 1, 2020)