What to Expect After a Loved One Has Died

Timeframe

The exact donation timeframe is dependent upon the scheduling and completion of various courses and research projects, and can be as short as two months or as long as eighteen months.

When will I be contacted by Anatomy Bequest Program staff

You can expect us to contact you at various intervals which are somewhat dependent upon which final disposition method you have selected.

1. The first contact our staff will have with you generally occurs within a day after the death of your loved one. During this conversation, our staff member will need to collect vital statistics information in order to generate a death certificate (see Death Certificate Information). Our staff member will also ask a series of detailed medical history questions about your loved one in order for the Anatomy Bequest Program to provide as much medical information to faculty, students and researchers as possible.
2. An Anatomy Bequest Program staff member will contact you when your loved ones’ death certificate is completed and available at the Office of Vital Records.
3. Six weeks before the Anatomy Bequest Program Service of Gratitude, you will receive an invitation to attend the service.
4. You will receive a card around the one year anniversary of your loved ones’ death. This will be the last contact you will receive from us if you opted for the Anatomy Bequest Program to inter your loved ones’ cremated remains in Lakewood Cemetery.
5. A member of our staff will contact you in the event an educator or researcher has a particular need to extend the timeframe beyond eighteen months. If so, you will receive a telephone call requesting extension permission.
6. If you opted to have your loved ones’ remains returned at the completion of the study, the final contact you will receive will be a letter notifying you of the completion of our study and requesting you to contact us to arrange for the return of the donor’s cremated remains (or body, if earth burial was selected).