The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Local News

March 31, 2008

MSU holds memorial for eight who donated bodies

Bill Billeter

Mountain State University held a ceremony in Carter Hall Monday evening to honor eight individuals who had donated their bodies to the study of medical science, and in so doing contributed greatly to the learning of a class of physician assistants.

Sandy Toensing is one of the PA students who studied anatomy during a comprehensive class during the fall semester. Toensing explained that the course was far more effective and meaningful because of the individuals who donated their bodies to help the students learn.

“To understand where the organs and muscles are in a human body — to see it and understand it — is truly an amazing and wonderful gift to have been given,” she said. “Think of how much that person has given us.”

During the ceremony, Toensing sat in the audience with several dozen of her classmates, all wearing white lab coats.

Eight of the students came to the front of the auditorium where each took a turn lighting a white candle that represented one of the donors.

After the candle-lighting ceremony, guest speaker Dr. Patricia Jarvis addressed the group and expressed her gratitude and appreciation for the eight donors.

“There are those among you that will be healers,” Jarvis said. “You will be more effective healers because of those who have donated their bodies to science.”

Jarvis quoted a former student who had also benefited from the opportunity to study the body of a donor. The student had attempted to express the feelings of her classmates about the person they had studied, saying, “We did not know anything about her. We didn’t know her name, but we just felt so connected to her that we didn’t want her to be nameless. We named her Grace.”

Dr. James Owston, the senior academic officer for instructional technology at MSU, concluded the ceremony with a final prayer.

“They (donors) were anonymous, but not anonymous to us,” Owston said. “Thank you for those who gave that last gift so that others may live later.”

Although the study of human anatomy is a standard part of the PA curriculum, not all PA programs offer such an effective way to study the human body, explained Debra Campbell, director of MSU’s PA program.

“This ceremony shows our appreciation and respect for those people who donate,” Campbell said.

— E-mail:

bbilleter@register-herald.com

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