African Americans And Brain Donation
Brain donation is a particularly important issue for African Americans individuals and communities, as well as researchers dedicated to bridging the gap in knowledge about AD among African Americans. African American elders are at greater risk for developing AD than their White counterparts. The reasons for this increased risk, however, are still unknown. Brain donation helps researchers to develop a better understanding of the prevention and treatment of AD among African Americans. Therefore, African American participation in brain donation programs is crucial to developing a greater awareness of the ways in which AD affects African American elders.
African Americans generally participate in both clinical research and organ donation programs at lower rates than White individuals. Since the BU ADRCs mission includes gaining knowledge about African American issues in AD, we are committed to increasing awareness about the significance of brain donation and related research among African Americans.
Son’s Hell: Mum’s Body Was Strapped To A Chair And Blown Up By The Military
One man is dealing with an unimaginable nightmare today, after learning that his beloved mothers body was handled in a horrific way after he submitted her remains for Alzheimers research.
WATCH: Mum’s body was strapped to a chair and blown up by the military
Loving son Jim Stauffer thought he was doing a good thing for sufferers of the disease when he made the donation in the US state of Arizona, but is now dealing with deep trauma after learning his mum Doris body was improperly on-sold to military testers, who strapped her body to an apparatus and blew her up to simulate war damage.
Knowledge of the blast testing experiment now haunts all of Jims memories of his mother, and he is struggling to deal with the horror.
Doris, 73, had endured Alzheimers, despite not carrying any known genes for the condition, and doctors had reportedly indicated studying her body could be beneficial for science, leading Jim to arrange the donation to the Biological Resource Center . The company had reportedly been recommended by a nurse.
Doris had suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease
I feel foolish, a distressed Jim told local TV station FOX6. Because Im not a trusting person, but in this situation you have no idea this is going on you trust. I think that trust is what they fed on.
Jim is now struggling with the cruel reality of what happened
It has now emerged that at least 20 other bodies were given to the military without the permission of donating families.
Son Horrified To Discover Army Blew Up Mums Body Donated To Medical Science
Grieving son Jim Stauffer thought his mother’s body would be used to help medical research – but is heartbroken to discover it was sold to the US army for blast testing
- 21:00, 31 Jul 2019
A grieving son who donated his mothers body to medical research was sickened to find out it was sold to the military for blast testing.
Jim Stauffer believed doctors were going to study 73-year-old Alzheimers sufferer Doris Stauffers brain.
But the donation facility which took her body secretly hawked it to the US Army for £4,842, which then blew it up.
Jim said: She was strapped in a chair, and a detonation took place underneath her to get an idea of what the human body goes through when a vehicle is hit by an IED.
There was wording on this paperwork about performing tests that may involve explosions, and we said, No.
Biological Resource Center collected Doriss remains 45 minutes after her death in 2014.
Days later, Jim, of Phoenix, Arizona, received his mums ashes.
But it was years before he discovered the grisly truth.
I feel foolish, said Jim. Im not a trusting person, but, you have no idea this is going on.
Military officials said they took BRCs word that permission had been given.
Records show at least 20 more bodies were blown up without consent.
Jim added: I dont see a pathway of getting past this.
“Every time theres a memory, a photograph, theres this ugly thing that happened staring at you.
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Learn More About Brain Donation
We appreciate that brain donation is a serious commitment. We encourage you and your loved ones to contact Madeline Uretsky, with your questions or concerns about brain tissue donation. She would be happy to speak with you and your loved ones about this important decision.
Click here to read about a grandchild who visits a brain bank to find out what will happen to her grandmothers brain when its donated to science. Each donated brain has a different journey.
Man Horrified That Army Blew Up Mom’s Body After It Was Donated For Research
An Arizona man is appalled that his mothers body was blown up by the military after he thought hed donated it for medical research. Hes speaking out amid an ongoing lawsuit against a private body donation facility accused of trafficking and mutilating human parts including sewing them together in a Frankenstein manner.
I dont see a pathway of ever getting past this, Jim Stauffer told Phoenix station ABC 15 about what happened to his late mother, Doris Stauffer, after he gave her body to the Biological Resource Center in Phoenix.
Jim Stauffer is one of multiple plaintiffs suing the now-closed center and its former owner, Stephen Gore. Their lawsuit follows a 2014 FBI raid on the facility, which revealed that Doris Stauffers body had been sold to the U.S. Army for blast testing, Reuters reported in 2016.
She was then supposedly strapped in a chair on some sort of apparatus, and a detonation took place underneath her to basically kind of get an idea of what the human body goes through when a vehicle is hit by an IED, her son told the Phoenix station.
When he agreed to donate his mothers body, Jim Stauffer said the paperwork asked specifically if medical tests involving explosions were OK.
We checked the no box on all that, he said, adding that it was the familys hope that her brain would be studied for Alzheimers research. Doris Stauffer had Alzheimers disease in her final years.
The civil trial is scheduled to begin in October.
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Arizona Man Learns Mom’s Body Sold To Military Detonated In Experiment
An Arizona man was distraught to learn that his mothers body was sold to the United States military for blast testing/”
PHOENIX, Arizona — An Arizona man was distraught to learn that his mother’s body was sold to the United States military for “blast testing,” which involved strapping it to a chair before an explosive device was detonated underneath, an investigation revealed.
It’s been more than five years since Jim Stauffer’s mother died in hospice care. Seventy-three-year-old Doris Stauffer suffered from Alzheimer’s disease during the last years of her life, but doctors say she didn’t have the gene for it.
Doctors worried the disease may have mutated, and hoped to study her brain after her passing to find out more. When the time came though, her neurologist couldn’t accept the body.
Her son hoped reaching out to other donation facilities could lead to the same result — but that was not the case.
The Stauffers are one of a dozen families who still do not know what happened to bodies of the loved ones they donated to Biological Resource Center in Maricopa County, Arizona.
Jim Stauffer said he trusted BRC to get her brain to neurologists who could learn more about the disease, but now he knows what really happened.
According to an investigation by Reuters, Doris’ body was sold to the U.S. military.
‘i Don’t See A Pathway Of Ever Getting Past This’
“I don’t see a pathway of ever getting past this,” a teary-eyed Stuaffer told the station. “Every time there’s a memory, every time there’s a photograph you look at, there’s this ugly thing that happened just right there staring right at you.”
Image source: KNXV-TV video screenshot
KNXV said Stauffer is one of many plaintiffs suing Biological Resource Center and its owner Stephen Gore, who pleaded guilty to running an illegal enterprise in 2015 but was sentenced to probation.
Image source: KNXV-TV video screenshot
“He didn’t care about the families, he didn’t care about the people, and he didn’t care about the memories,” Stauffer noted to the station. “If I can be a little small part of his personal financial destruction, I don’t care.”
Valley makes disturbing discovery after donating his mom’s body to Biological Resource Center
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Body Donation In Other Parts Of The World
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Human Tissue Authority licenses and inspects organisations where bodies are donated for medical research.
There are about 19 institutions around the UK which accept body donations, with people usually choosing the nearest one to their home or to an area they are originally from.
People are referred to an institution through the HTA’s website or by their GP, solicitor or local authority.
In other countries, religious beliefs may affect decisions to donate a body for medical research. For example, in some African countries even organ donation is a taboo, and desecration of the body is considered contrary to some religious teachings.
In Qatar, a hospital where human body parts are imported for cutting-edge medical science research has been operating for 12 years.
The Aspetar hospital opened in 2007 and created the Visiting Surgeons Programme as a postgraduate experience for doctors from all over the world. Surgeons there do not use replica body parts but “specimens”.
In a highly bureaucratic process that involves the joint work of six government ministries, real human body parts are imported, with most of the supply coming from the United States.
Frequently Asked Questions About Brain Donation
Why is brain donation important?
Who can donate?
How will donation affect my family?
Is brain tissue donation of value from individuals without memory impairment?
Can I be an organ donor and a brain donor?
Who is the next-of-kin?
Should I inform my next-of-kin of my decision to become a donor?
Does registering as a donor mean that medical treatment will be altered?
I know the BU ADRC HOPE Study needs to be called as soon after death as possible, but what happens after the program is called?
What does the neuropathologist do?
Will I need to alter the funeral arrangements?
Is brain donation compatible with my religion?
Will there be any cost?
Should family members also become brain donors?
What if I change my mind and no longer wish to donate?
Will the results of the examination be available?
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Why Body Donation Is Unregulated In The Us
While organ donation is regulated by the US Department of Health and Human Services, body donation remains unregulated .
Buying and selling bodies is a felony but what is permissible is charging a “reasonable” amount to “process” a body. This includes removal, storage, transportation, or disposal.
What constitutes a “reasonable” amount is also open to interpretation. Facilities are largely able to set up their own internal practices and policies.
Nor is there any known national or global register to track how many bodies are donated for medical research each year.
But it’s estimated thousands of people in the US donate bodies for education or research, believing their actions are charitable and the bodies will be used for medical science.
University body donation centres will mostly use cadavers to teach medical students. Many institutions, such as the University of California, are committed to operating a transparent programme.
Others like the University of Tennessee’s Anthropological Research Facility, known as “The Body Farm”, operate more specific practices, like teaching forensic teams how bodies decompose.
Brandi Schmitt, executive director of anatomical services at the University of California, told the BBC that what happens to a donated body depends on the kind of centre it goes to.
Ms Schmitt says current regulations are not sufficient to protect donors and those working in medical science.
A Body Donated To Science
A man who donated his mother’s body to what he thought was Alzheimer’s research learned later it was used to test explosives. So what does happen when your body is donated to medical science?
Last week new details of a lawsuit emerged against the Biological Resource Centre in Arizona, following an FBI raid in 2014 in which gruesome remains of hundreds of discarded body parts were discovered.
The centre, now closed, is accused of illegally selling body parts against the donors wishes.
Newly released court documents revealed that families of those whose bodies had been donated said they believed their relatives’ remains would be used for medical and scientific research.
Jim Stauffer is one of the multiple plaintiffs suing the centre. He told Phoenix station ABC 15 he believed his mother’s donated body would be used to study Alzheimer’s, a disease she had, but he later found out it was used by the military to examine the effects of explosives.
He says on the paperwork he was given by the centre. he specifically ticked “no” when asked if he consented to the body being used to test explosives.
So how does the body donation business operate in the US, and what expectations do people have?
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Man Gave Mothers Body For Alzheimers Research Us Military Used It To Test Bombs
Media reports stated that the newly released court documents revealed that families of those whose bodies had been donated said they believed their relatives remains would be used for medical and scientific research, but that was not the case.
News Desk |
Shocking as it may seem, a man who had donated his mothers body to what he thought was Alzheimers research learned later it was used to test explosives by US army.
On August 6, BBC reported that new details of a lawsuit emerged against the Biological Resource Centre in Arizona, following an FBI raid in 2014 in which gruesome remains of hundreds of discarded body parts were discovered.
The report said, that the center, now closed, is accused of illegally selling body parts against the donors wishes.
BBC report stated that the newly released court documents revealed that families of those whose bodies had been donated said they believed their relatives remains would be used for medical and scientific research, but that was not the case.
The media outlet that the Biological Resource Center had come to pick up his mothers body within 45 minutes of her death.
Its been more than five years since Jim Stauffers mother died in hospice care. Stauffer, who is one of the multiple plaintiffs suing the center, told ABC 15 Arizona that he believed his mothers donated body would be used to study Alzheimers, a disease she had, but he later found out it was used by the military to examine the effects of explosives.
Phoenix Man Donated His Mother’s Brain For Alzheimer’s Research Blackmarket Body Broker Secretly Sold It To The Pentagon For Blast Testing
PHOENIX, AZ It never occurred to Jim Stauffer when he donated his mothers body to Phoenixs now-shuttered Biological Resource Center in 2013 that she would be blown up by the military in blast test experiments.
Doris Stauffer had struggled with Alzheimers disease, and when she died in 2013, her son hoped donating her brain to medical research could help unlock some of the mysteries of the incurable disease that currently affects about 5.8 million Americans.
But as investigators have since determined, little at Biological Resource Center was as it had been presented by owner Stephen Gore, who court records show sold more than 20,000 body parts from about 5,000 human bodies over a decade. Gore was criminally charged for selling donated body parts for profit and is now being sued by Stauffer and 32 other families over his treatment of their loved ones corpses.
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Us Man Learns Mum’s Body Sold To Military Blown Up In Experiment
US man learns mum’s body sold to military, blown up in experiment. Video / KNXV
A US man has learned that his mother’s body, that the family had donated to medical research, was instead used in “blast testing” by the US military.
Jim Stauffer says he only learned what really happened three years after his mother died from Alzheimer’s in 2014, aged 73.
Doris Stauffer battled the condition for many years, despite not carrying the gene that often leads to it developing, and medical officials had suggested that her brain be studied after her death.
When she died in 2014 her neurologist could not accept her remains so her son placed her body into the care of the Biological Resource Center in Maricopa County, Arizona.
It was sent under the condition that only her brain was to be used for medical research.
Instead, BRC sold her body to the US military which then used it in tests designed to simulate the effect of an improvised explosive device exploding under a vehicle.
To obtain these results, Doris Stauffer’s body was strapped into a chair and an explosive device detonated underneath.
Her son told Fox6 News that “‘I’m not a trusting person, but in this situation you have no idea this is going on you trust. I think that trust is what they fed on.”
He said: “There was actually wording on this paperwork about performing this stuff. Performing these medical tests that may involve explosions, and we said no. ‘We checked the ‘no’ box on all that.”
Man Who Donated His Mother’s Body To An Arizona Center For Alzheimer’s Research Discovers It Was Sold On To The Us Military For $6000 Strapped To A Chair And Blown Up In ‘blast Test’
- Doris Stauffer, 73, died in hospice care following a several year battle with Alzheimers, despite doctors saying she didnt carry the gene for the disease
- Medical officials feared the disease may have mutated and hoped to study her brain after her death but her neurologist was unable to accept her remains
- Finally, her son settled on the Biological Resource Center in Maricopa County and signed an agreement to donate Doris’ brain to Alzheimer’s research
- Days later he received a wooden box labelled with his mothers ashes and an ID number – but it was later discovered to contain just the ashes of just her hand
- The rest of her remains were sold to the US Military, strapped into a chair and blown up in a ‘blast test’ to study what happens to humans in cars hit by IED’s
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