Their “Extraordinary Gifts”

Good morning.

On Wednesday, we held what I believe to be one of our most special annual events, A Ceremony of Thanksgiving in Memory of Anatomical Donors. After two years of COVID-induced changes to this ceremony – completely cancelled in 2020 and conducted virtually in 2021 – I was glad we were able to return to an in-person event held each year at the cemetery on the east side of our campus, behind the VA.

Each year during this ceremony, we honor Mississippians who died the previous year and had made the decision to donate their bodies to us for educational purposes. It’s important that we use this occasion to express our gratitude to these selfless people who made the gift of their bodies, in the presence of family members who could know their loved one's impact after death.

Our Anatomical Donor Program provides for hands-on training using donor remains in five of our health sciences programs: medicine, occupational therapy, physical therapy, dentistry and clinical anatomy. The experience these students get from working with these donor bodies, considered their “first patient,” cannot be replicated through any other way. No simulator or other means can replace the experience of investigating a human body. For this reason, the Mississippians who sign up for this program will eventually make a huge impact in our state that will be felt as long as these students are in practice.

During the ceremony, a student representing each program gives remarks and thanks the “first patients” honored that year and the family members who carried out their loved ones wishes. Also, they express how much it meant to them to be able to learn through the donors. What they experience working with these donors will be carried with them throughout their entire careers. And I can attest from speaking with family members each year following the ceremony, they really appreciate hearing from the students how impactful their loved ones were following their deaths. It’s so meaningful to them. Watch a recording of the entire ceremony.

Additionally, all music during the ceremony was student provided, underlining how committed students are to supporting this program and taking any opportunity possible to show how appreciative they are of it. Zachary Klopman, a third-year medical student, played violin, including a beautiful rendition of Amazing Grace, and Conner Ball, a third-year medical student, played guitar and sang.

So, I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you a few snippets of the comments made by this year’s student speakers. We have an amazing student community and each time I hear one of them make public comments, I am reminded of how broadly talented they are. Our students really can do anything, and well! 

—  —  —

“We recognize each of these donors led full lives with friends, families and careers. We honor, respect and revere them. They were our first and most important patients because they afforded us the opportunity to learn the intricacy of the human body so we may use our knowledge to treat our future patients.”

            — Greer Blaylock, doctor of physical therapy student

—  —  —

“…it will be our responsibility to cater and give ourselves to those who will need our services. It is understood how helping each other is what keeps humanity, education and even morals to continue afoot. If it were not for your loved one’s sacrifice, we would not have had the privilege to study the most incredible and complex creation known to man – human body…”

            — Raven Jones, doctor of occupational therapy student

“This is a beautiful thing that is held over from life. Each person walks their own path, writing the story of their life. And some, like your family members, conclude their story by sharing it with our university’s students. This story is subtly written throughout their body, and we are able to glean some insight into their past through observing their body, but we don’t know THEM. The experience of working with our body donors is more than about understanding the complexities of human anatomy and setting a groundwork for clinical practice. It is about appreciating each individual for who they are.”

            —  Andrew Ferriby, clinical anatomy Ph.D. student

—  —  —

“And the gift that our donors gave us is the epitome of what Mississippi means to me. And when I say Our Donors, I don’t mean that we felt we owned them, I say that because we felt a deep sense of responsibility and of respect towards them and to the trust they place in us. One of the greatest gifts someone can give is a gift with no expectations of receiving anything in return. And what better way to do this than to give a gift in death? When all around us, everything screams instant gratification, or donors will never know the impact they made. They will never get to say, “Hey, guess what I did,” or “Hey, look who I helped.” This is what makes our donors special, and this is what makes our state great.”

            —  Chris Glasgow, medical student

“Years from now we will reflect on our time in dental school, and this will be one of our most unforgettable experiences. We will remember both how fortunate we were to have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and how blessed we were to be impacted by someone we will never get a chance to thank. We owe it to our donors and their families to apply the information that we have learned to reach our full potential and become remarkable dentists.”

            —  Derrick Burt, II, dental student

—  —  —

These segments of the students’ remarks show how each person who donates their body to this program lives on past their death. Even now, I still remember my first patient from anatomy class my first year of medical school. And each student whose comments are above and those they represent will be saying the same thing for the entirety of their lives. The unselfishness displayed by the Mississippians whose names were read aloud during the ceremonies “roll call of heroes” is pivotal in helping us prepare the next generation of health science professionals that will take us closer to A Healthier Mississippi.