April 30, 2019

Many of you know that I just joined the College of Medicine family in September, so it took me a while to get used to the campus and find my way through Queen Lane. And while I could almost always never find a colleague's office, I never failed to stumble into the cadaver lab by accident. Frustrated, I would backtrack my way out and try to find the office I was looking for. That was the only thought I had ever gave to the cadaver lab—that is, until my mom passed away in early January and my siblings and I had to talk about organ donation. Unfortunately, my mom battled with a lot of infections in her last days, so her organs were rendered unusable. However, it made me think back to my stumbles through the cadaver lab. Unlike me, those bodies did not happen to be in the lab by accident. They were purposely donated by the deceased and/or their family members so that even in their death, their legacy lived on to educate future doctors, dentists and other health care providers in our country.

When the invitation to attend the Annual Celebration of Remembrance crossed my desk, I decided to attend along with many first-year students from medical, dental, podiatry and osteopathic schools in Pennsylvania. The Celebration of Remembrance is held each year in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Family and friends of the donors are invited to "honor and commemorate these special individuals who have selflessly donated their bodies for the advancement of medical education and research." Medical students and faculty members from Pennsylvania schools also participate in the celebration.