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Looking through the Summer 2009 issue of Momentum, the NMSS magazine, I came across the page that dealt with the issue of brain tissue donation. I don't know how quickly one decides that they're cool with donating their own brain matter once they're dead and gone, but apparently I do so pretty quickly. According to said article, less than 1% of people living with MS "make arrangements for a posthumous donation of brain tissue." Those are some puny statistics. I immediately knew that this was something I wanted to do, so I earmarked the page, planning on coming back to it later. It was only after having my neuropsych appointment and thinking (borderline) obsessively about brains for a few days, that I remembered the article. 

Rocky Mountain MS Center was the first of three tissue banks listed on the page, so naturally it's the first one I looked into. After checking out all of them, I decided for a few different reason, that this was the tissue bank I would sign up with. One of the main reasons was the fact that the procedure could be done in my hometown, if you will. I know that another one of them bascically said the procedure would have to be done at their facilities, which just so happened to be in Chicago. Somehow I think this seems a bit unmanageable. Also, the Rocky Mountain MS Center was the tissue bank which was exclusive to tissue donation specifically for MS research.   

I suppose this seems like a bit of a morbid subject, maybe that's the reason that so few people have signed up. Who really wants to talk about death anyway? In thinking about being an organ or tissue donor, I suppose you have to actually ponder your own death, on one level or another. For some reason I don't really get all that far in this part of the thought process, it's just kind of a "meh" thing for me. I have been signed up as an organ donor for about eleven years now, and have only recently discovered that perhaps this is something I will have to change. I learned from one of the sites I visited that because there is a chance that MS may be caused by a virus, there are certain organs which are not recommended for donation. So rather than giving someone a kidney with possible side of MS after I kick the bucket, I have decided that donating some brain tissue for further research into MS would be a better option.

It goes without saying that for those of us less educated on the removal of brain tissue, it sounds kind of gorey. The procedure is actually quite simple, for the trained professionals of course, and frankly we aren't going to present for any of it, at least I don't believe so. There will be no visible damage done to your body, save whatever fate may have nabbed you post donation. So if you're checking yourself out from some distant planet, or perhaps as an annoying fly buzzing around the funeral home, and you happen to catch a glimpse of yourself post bucket kicking, there's a good chance you'll still be...pretty. 

You can check out the latest issue of Momentum for more info, or just dig around on the internet for that matter. I downloaded some forms from Rocky Mountain MS Center, went over them with my Mom and boyfriend, and have sent them in. You'll need to make sure you've made clear your wishes with your closest family members, since they will be responsible for making this happen, once you've made your final exit...not that any of us are going anywhere, anytime soon.