There are other “gotchas” even. My mothers surgery went ok, supposedly, then she spent a week or so in pain, getting sicker. When she died she was so badly infected, the body snatchers didn’t want her. I imagine there are many other scenarios where they won’t take the body.
You might try contacting MedCure.org - we used this service when my brother died, and most of my family is signed up with them. They do indicate that there are some weight limits, but don’t specify exactly what they are. I’m sure they’d answer that if you called or emailed.
Good luck!
‘‘Not to be rude or anything, but if this is a serious issue, is there any reason that she isn’t trying to lose the weight? I’m just curious.’’ Yes Guinastasia there are several health problems outside the scope of this thread.
That was my first thought. Even NBC news has asked the question, I am still looking for any any answer they may have gotten,
Most bodies are used for first-year students to learn about human anatomy. Morbidly obese people have a lot of extra tissue surrounding the structures that the students need to learn about, which means that there is a lot more work and difficulty involved in dissection and study. Embalming the bodies (which is done to prevent decay while studying) also adds significant weight, and an embalmed obese person can easily be too large or too heavy for the equipment used to store and move bodies, plus too heavy to be safely and cleanly moved without adding extra staff or equipment.
I tried to convince my wife to put me in a Hefty cinch sack and send me down the trash chute, but she won’t go for it.
Okay, I wasn’t trying to be rude. I’m sorry about your wife’s health issues. I hope you find a solution here.
(Would a mortuary school be interested? I know my dad mostly practiced on unclaimed bodies at the county morgue, but maybe things have changed)
It does seem outside the bounds of normal legal reality. As a lawyer myself, I’d advise any client who came to me asking to be donated to a medical school after death, to get in touch with the medical school first.
A quick look at a couple of medical schools’ donation programs answers some to a lot of questions. The University of Toronto’s Body Donation Program mentions that there is more to it than just a sentence in a will, and urges potential donors to contact them for details.
The page of the Bequeathal Program at McMaster University, lists a number of those details. Note especially “What we must decline” at the bottom of the page, and especially the height and weight restrictions:
In each case, potential donors are advised to contact the school first, for forms and other details. I’d expect that all medical schools would have similar details and procedures for donation; and I’d further expect that the schools’ lawyers would take care of the legal details, working with the donor’s own lawyer if necessary.
I wouldn’t expect a private lawyer (i.e. not working for the school) to know this information off the top of his or her head, but I would expect that before that lawyer starts preparing documents, the lawyer looks into it. I’ve had clients come to me before with some reasonable-sounding requests, but once I understand exactly what the client wants and/or look into their wishes a bit, I find that this is a job best suited for another professional (for example, an accountant), or for some organization–such as a medical school. And so, I advise appropriately. That, to me, is the normal legal reality.
Best friends help make the bodies real friends help you move. 
Just let her decompose for a few days (weeks) until her body weight falls below the threshold. Then give the school a call to come pick her up.
Really good friends kick and curse the body for bleeding on the carpet. Really good true friends give you an alibi.
I looked into the issue as a result of this thread and I saw one article that mentioned this factor. Apparently the extreme form of embalming that’s necessary for a medical cadaver can add up to a hundred pounds to the body’s existing weight.
Could liposuction be possible after death? Surely in our image obsessed society this has been at least thought of so that people can “leave a beautiful corpse”. Might even get a major discount since nobody could possibly sue for malpractice.
I found this explanation elsewhere else too. It now seems quite reasonable.
Now I wonder why the forensics researchers who let bodies rot in the wilderness do not want the obese?
BTW as of this entry the need is not urgent. I appreciate the interest. I am going to Google up mortuary schools now.
Well…yeah…
No offense, but you do have neighbors.
Who the hell wants to hear yelling & whimpering from the hallway for days on end…?
…and don’t waste that Cinch Sack…
–G! 