This is a digital painting I made using Procreate which depicts the hands of some of the donors who gifted their bodies to our anatomy course. Over the past few months, I’ve had the chance to TA for anatomy. This experience has led me to reflect on my time in the lab and on the incredible privilege it is to learn from these bodies.
As a first-year student, I was struck by a small, faded tattoo of an illegible word inscribed inside of a heart on my donor cadaver’s wrist. I often wondered about the significance of that word and the memories tied to it, especially given its placement inside a symbol of love. This year, I encountered another donor whose body bore two Philadelphia Eagles tattoos. I imagined the high-fives those hands might have exchanged when the Eagles won the Super Bowl, or how they might have reached up into the air in celebration following a winning touchdown.
When I shared this thought with a friend, she mentioned how she, too, was moved by her donor’s carefully painted nails. Together, we reflected on the lives those hands had touched. These small expressions of humanity–a tattoo, painted nails, or even a birthmark–reminded us of the immense gift it is to explore their bodies, enhancing our understanding for the sake of our future patients.
It’s fitting that we use the term “hand-holding” to describe the act of guiding someone through a learning process. While this term does not always mean physical touch, it signifies showing another a new perspective of the world. As I reflect on these symbols of the vibrant, meaningful lives our donors led, I appreciate how their gift leads us to a new understanding of human life and, therefore, a new legacy for them—one that I will carry with me in every patient interaction throughout my medical career.
