COLUMBUS, Ohio — Mandy Jenkins was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019, and the disease would later spread to her brain and spine.
Those who knew Mandy Jenkins would describe her as many things, but practical was at the top of the list. Jenkins was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019, and the disease would later spread to her brain and spine.
She died this past February, but her story wouldn’t stop there.
Years before her diagnosis, she decided she would eventually donate her body to science. After she passed, her body would be used in labs and research at The Ohio State University’s College of Medicine.
“Anything they do at the medical school to teach students or to add to the research is better than literally putting it in a box and putting it on the ground for the rest of eternity,” said her widower Ben Fischer. “She was eager to contribute to the cause. To her, it wasn't a close call either.”
The school uses the bodies of people who died from breast cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's and other debilitating diseases. Students get to have a hands-on experience that lets them think outside the box.
“It really does provide the ability for students to kind of say, well, maybe I can think of a way to do a different type of bypass or a different type of replacement for a joint in the body, “ said Melissa Quinn, who serves as an associate professor of anatomy. “It's within this lab that they really start to have that spark happen.”
Pilard Hanna is a third-year Ph.D. student in the anatomy department. She’s able to see and work with brains, lungs and kidneys. She said that empathy and selflessness have been some of her biggest takeaways from working with donors like Jenkins.
“Those donors, they care about us for our education and they want to donate their bodies, which is a huge gift,” said Hanna. “It's the most generous gift someone can ever give. This is something it's really humbling me and it's teaching me like I should care about others all the time.”
The Ohio State University’s College of Medicine is always looking for people to donate. If you or a loved one are interested in exploring options you can visit their website here. OSU’s School of Medicine keeps the bodies for research for up to two years but the school holds a memorial service every year for all donors. Families can receive the remains after the two years and have their own private ceremony.