Donating my dad's brain to science

Writer Courtney Martin wanted to help.

Martin’s dad had advanced dementia, and she saw the opportunity to play a small role in helping others avoid that suffering: Donate his brain to research when he died and hopefully help doctors find treatments for the disease.

But as she discovered over the next few months, the world of brain donation is strange and frustrating despite the needs for brains and the good intentions of people trying to help.

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A heartbreaking quest to donate my dad’s brain to science

I wanted to help find treatments so others wouldn’t suffer. But the donor process is an odyssey.

by Courtney E. Martin

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