BBC presenter’s shock over mum’s body donation revelation

Talking to your family about death is a conversation everyone dreads, but my mother, Patsy, wanted to have this conversation with me and was shocked to learn what she wanted to happen to her body after she was gone.

Even in the darkest hours when she was diagnosed with bowel cancer a few years ago, I tried to avoid thinking about what it meant to lose my mother.

But when he was 86 years old, he confronted me to tell me that he wanted to donate his body to medical science after he died.

My mum is certain she wants to be one of the 1,300 UK people whose bodies are donated to education each year because she thinks without donors, tomorrow’s doctors won’t get the experience they need.

I was torn between admiration and surprise when my mother told me that she had contacted a university and everything was arranged.

To be honest, body donation was not in my area of ​​interest and I had a lot of questions floating around in my mind.

How would his body be used? Will we be able to have a funeral?

But Patsy Cohen is nothing if not determined and pragmatic.

“I imagine a big saw will come out and they will cut off one of his legs, but I don’t care,” he told me in his unique way.

My mother wants to donate her body to show her gratitude to the medical professionals who helped her four years ago when she had bowel cancer and needed surgery.

He wants to help future paramedics and told me: “I wouldn’t be here without them, so this is a simple way to give back.”

As a journalist and a curious daughter, I naturally wanted to learn more about what my mother was planning to do.

So I made a documentary that taught the use of real human bodies at a university and was my mom’s go-to documentary.

Our cameras were given rare access behind the scenes at Cardiff University to see what happened to our donated bodies.

We saw how students “connected” with their donors and their relationships with the families they left behind.

The anatomy center is where medical students learn from real bodies rather than textbooks in lecture halls.

Leading the anatomy education team, Dr. “There is no substitute for being able to see, touch and feel real anatomy,” said Hannah Shaw.

He said that just as our bodies are different from the outside, our physiology and conditions such as cancer and hip replacement make us different from the inside.

“Textbooks give you the impression that everything is the same and we are not,” he added.

However, the use of real bodies in anatomy education is decreasing as advances in technology mean that the human body can be replicated in 3D on screens.

But Dr Shaw thinks it’s the truth that gives students like Freya Gillson the best education.

“Things in real life look completely different to what you think,” said the 19-year-old Cardiff University medical student.

“So working with donors is incredible. They are our first patients, and you develop a bond with them; they are our silent teachers.”

When someone who donates his body to Cardiff University dies, he is brought to the anatomy center as soon as possible.

The bodies are preserved and, with the consent of the donors, some parts are removed and stored for further study. Donors can stay at the center for up to three years.

When it is time for the bodies to leave the anatomy center, the university places them in coffins for the funeral director to collect.

Their families then decide whether they want to cremate or bury them, with funeral expenses covered by the university.

It can be a long wait for families grieving their loved ones, and Joy Sesay’s family has had to get used to it.

“His whole idea was to help people who were less fortunate than you and to be a good person,” his daughter Jenny told me.

Joy leaves behind a very large family, including eight children, 20 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren, who held memorial services while awaiting the funeral.

While some thought they had closure, his grandson AJ admitted he felt “in limbo” without a funeral.

“It was a little weird because it wasn’t the usual, go to the funeral and then deal with it,” he said.

Application rates from those wishing to donate have been lower in the UK in recent years, with Cardiff seeing a decline since 2020, with around 50% fewer people registering. But in 2024, there were still 154 people signed up.

Not everyone can donate their body to science, and universities “strongly recommend” that those considering this donate it to their families.

At the end of the academic year, I went to the commemoration event organized by the university every year, where families and students came together.

Students don’t say who they’re working with, but it’s a chance for them to share what they’re learning more generally.

“Seeing photos of our donors with their families made it all so real,” Freya said of the “touching moment.”

“Everyone is taking a step back and realizing that this journey is over.”

For Joy Sesay’s family, this is just the beginning.

“You think this might be a one-time gift from your body and you close the book, that’s not the case,” said daughter Carol.

“The truth is, you open the book and you see that his body will benefit not only future doctors but future patients… We failed to realize the magnitude and importance of what he was doing.”

When we have to say goodbye to my mother for the last time it will be unimaginably painful, but I am so happy that I know and understand her wishes.

In typical Patsy Cohen fashion, she told me: “I feel like I won’t be wasted when I’m not here, that it will do some good and help me become a better doctor.”

I will truly take comfort in knowing that he continues to make a difference, and that makes me extremely proud of him.

I hope it will be many years before I hand my mother over to the care of Cardiff University’s anatomy center – and I’m happy to report that Patsy is not being soft and is still living life to the fullest.

This journey also made me decide to donate my body to the center when I die.

Thank you mom.