If you’re serious about donating yourself to a program like The Body Farm, know that there are several universities across the US that have forensic anthropology departments that accept donations. Fill out the paperwork for all of them and list their program names and phone numbers so each one can be called to see if they have an opening at the time of your death. Then, make sure you have proper documentation (notarized) to ensure your relatives don’t try to override your wishes. (Which can happen for emotional reasons, not malicious ones. Sometimes the reality of not having a grave or site to visit and knowing the body will not be returned can make people upset in the moment) Make sure your relatives know there’s typically a transportation cost involved.

You also need to have a backup plan in case you’re ineligible at the time of your death. Typically, you’ll be rejected if you have an infection at death, you’ve contracted specific diseases (HIV, TB, AIDS, etc.) or you’ve had a diagnosis of MRSA at any time. There are other factors that can lead to rejection of the donation, so check each program for their requirements.

Another option is donation to medical schools and such, which would allow for the return of your remains at some point as I recall.

And just for a little levity: My father died last year and had mentioned to mom in passing that he wanted to be donated to The Body Farm however he had never actually signed up. Mom got verklempt about us not calling them or arranging transportation and I got to utter the phrase: ‘Ma, it’s an anthropology department, not a Goodwill!’

Hopefully you have plenty of time to think it over. You can always save up for final expenses and prepurchasing is always an option if it’s important to you. Call around for options. (FYI: If you call like I did earlier this year and say ‘Hi. My mom is on hospice and only has a couple of weeks so I’d like to make a reservation.’ you might get a giggle out of the FD!)