American author Carol Brink wrote that “The most truly generous persons are those who give silently without hope of praise or reward.”

That statement is how PCOM South Georgia students described the selfless gift of anatomical donors and their families during the campus' annual Body Donor Memorial Service—a time where students, faculty and staff speak to the donors’ loved ones about the impact donors have had on their education and future career.

Anatomical donors are the very first patient of graduate and medical students. Thanks to the donors' generosity, students at PCOM South Georgia learn firsthand about the intricacies of the human body. Those who donate their remains to support programs in medical education and research make a tremendous contribution to scientific knowledge and understanding.

Destiny Sciuva (DO '25), class chair, followed Brink’s quote by saying, “With your loved ones' silent gift will come years of silent praise and tangible reward as the lessons they've given us will be cast throughout all of our medical careers. The gift of medicine that we'll soon practice started with the gift of their donation, and for that, we are wholeheartedly grateful.”

Schiley Pierre Louis (DO '25) explained how his time with his first patient in the anatomy lab enlightened him about future patient encounters.

“Our donors helped us appreciate the uniqueness of our future patients, which should serve as a reminder that we can't proceed with one size fits all care in medicine,” he said. “It needs to be patient-driven.”

Sarah Amaris (DO '25), addressed the families and friends of the donors, saying, “I often thought about the lifetime of experiences each person had, and how during that lifetime your loved one chose to give us one of the greatest educational experiences we will ever have.”