Over the past fifty years, medicine has made a huge leap in prolonging human life and its quality thanks to more accurate diagnostic devices, new and unique treatment methods, and better and more effective drugs. All this helps to improve our life. To put it in perspective, today's newborns have a high probability of living to be a hundred years old and seeing the world in 2123. By that time, the hitherto fatally incurable diseases will no doubt be manageable, even if other diseases emerge. After all, the whole world could see what one virus can do.
In addition to the incredibly rapidly developing medical science and related techniques, however, no progress can be made without the most important thing: without the bodies of deceased donors. The Latin saying "Mortui vivos docent" applies here, i.e. "The dead teach the living". Where would doctors learn new methods of surgery or test the safety of various medical devices? Yes, on the bodies of donors who, during their lifetime, agreed to help medical science, and thus all of us, in this way.
Donors have also already helped save the life of a 46-year-old woman who was stabbed by an attacker in Prague at the end of last year. Doctors saved her, even though she had a two-centimeter wound in her heart. This is a huge success for colleagues from the University Hospital in Motola, who only a few weeks before this unfortunate event were learning to perform a new medical procedure, the so-called "resuscitation thoracotomy", which is the opening of the chest with the aim of rapid diagnosis and treatment of the cause of circulatory arrest, on the bodies of donors . This method serves to restore circulation and stabilize the patient. At that time, no one thought that the acquired experience and training of this unique method would be able to perform on a seriously injured woman in just a few weeks and thereby save her life.
Also for these reasons, it was created in the Department of Anatomy of the 2nd Faculty of Medicine of Charles University Donor program on a completely new and unconventional principle. We managed to create an almost family environment in which the employees who take care of the registry of the donor program help with advice and willingness to the overall satisfaction of voluntary donors. It is the individual approach to donors that is absolutely key, as well as the highest possible respect for the donated body. Every donor body is a huge gift to us.
At the end of 2021, we ceremoniously opened a small place of worship at our site in Motola. We planted a heart-shaped linden tree as a symbol connecting the world of the living and the dead, which carries small wooden leaves on its branches with the first names of the donors as a reminder of their decision. That way, the donors will never be forgotten for future generations, and the ticket will remind them of their last great deed that they did on their earthly journey. The tree of life and the bench also serve as a meeting place for relatives and friends of deceased donors, and in the future, masses for deceased donors will be held here, not only for the survivors.
MAYBE NOW YOU WONDER HOW YOU CAN BECOME A VOLUNTARY DONATOR AND WHAT IT ALL INCLUDES?
It used to be that if no one claimed the body of the deceased within 96 hours, it was obtained by anatomical institutes. However, the legislation has changed and the only possible way is for donors to donate their body during their lifetime through a contract. To cover all our activities, we lack thousands of donors in the registry.
So how do you become a voluntary body donor? It's very simple - everyone interested in donating a body signs a contract with the Department of Anatomy of the 2nd Faculty of Medicine, UK, whose signatures must be officially verified. For this, an officially verified signature at Czechpoint, i.e. at the post office or at the municipal or city office, is sufficient. This is also the only cost that the donor will have for donating their body. It is 30 crowns per contract and three copies of the contract must be purchased. Other costs, i.e. all costs associated with the services of the funeral service, including later cremation and handing over the urn to relatives, are covered by our Faculty of Medicine.
After the administrative process, we recommend sending two copies back to the donor together with the Donor's Pass, which he should carry in his documents. One contract then remains at the Institute of Anatomy of the 2nd Faculty of Medicine, UK. The donor himself can decide to whom he will give the second contract, whether to his treating doctor (practitioner), or to his family, to whomever he trusts. He should also inform family members of his intention. The contract can be withdrawn at any time without giving a reason.
If you are interested in more detailed information or a consultation, do not hesitate to contact us directly Institute of Anatomy 2. LF UK at the email address: anatomie@lfmotol.cuni.cz or by phone: 775 050 012.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article.
