sistawendy: me in my nun costume looking stern (stern nun)
I just got a most unusual phone call from Good Sister. She's been talking to Mom's doctors as ever, and they believe Mom's dementia is unusual in that she has "whole-body" hallucinations, that is hallucinations that aren't obviously so. The docs told GS about a research outfit called the Brain Bank. As generalissima of the United Sister Front, she gets the ultimate say over whether we donate Mom's brain to science when she dies.

Being the conscientious Good Sister that she is, she called the other members of the USF and asked us if we were cool with it. We both said yes. As GS points out, until she actually came down with dementia Mom would surely have been in favor of this kind of thing, probably noting that she won't be using her brain at that point anyway.

From the Dept. of Good Examples, my father, whose medical history was even more unusual and heartbreaking than my mother's, donated parts of his body to medical research. If there's even a chance it'll spare anyone what the four of us – Mom as well as the USF, because we all know it's terrible for her – have gone through, donating Mom's brain is the right thing to do.

Edited to add: Mom's middle sister Aunt H, who passed away earlier this year, had schizophrenia. It manifested no later than her late teens. I can't help but wonder if that accounts for Mom's distinctiveness.

Date: 2021-12-16 02:56 am (UTC)From: [personal profile] threemeninaboat
threemeninaboat: (Default)
The Brain Bank people are awesome and your mom's brain will be a huge help! Thank you!

Date: 2021-12-16 04:00 am (UTC)From: [personal profile] dark_phoenix54
dark_phoenix54: (Default)
That's awesome that at least some good may come of your mom's illness. My dad wanted his body donated to science; I had a friend who had so many co-morbidities that a place actually requested (very politely!) that they get his body when he was done with it. So much can be done with bequests like that! Still, it's never an easy thing to think about. {{{hugs}}}

Date: 2021-12-16 08:44 pm (UTC)From: [personal profile] warriorsavant
warriorsavant: (Default)

FWIW, we did donate my late Father's brain to science. Dad was rather a medical groupie, and I think he'd have liked the idea.

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