My mother donated her body to science. I really wasn’t prepared for what came next

The process included a gala featuring medical students doing aerial yoga and singing Taylor Swift to donors’ families. In some way, it was absolutely perfect

When my mother, Erin O’Connell, was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer in late 2022, one of her first thoughts was: “What will I do if I can’t work?”

At the time, she was 62 years old and working as a physical therapist in Portland, Oregon, where she had recently moved to live closer to me and my family. Reluctantly, she filed for short-term disability from her job and paused her training to become a volunteer search and rescue EMT.