DNA Memorial vial
Funeral directors regularly make a point of telling families that cremation is an irreversible process. It also destroys all genetic history and medical markers contained in the person’s DNA.
If a loved one is buried, and the family decides they want to get DNA from that body later, disinterment is costly, both financially and emotionally.
That’s why it’s important for those in the funeral business, who are usually the last people to be in contact with the body prior to cremation or burial, have the option to offer a service to collect DNA.
In the video below, Jeff Harbeson, president of DNA Memorial, talks about the benefits of this service. The DNA is harvested from a sample of hair and mouth swab. No blood draw is required. The DNA sample in the vial can be stored at room temperature, viable indefinitely.
DNA Memorial offers options for home banking of DNA, custom keepsakes and art, and the option of banking the DNA in a secure facility.The DNA can be incorporated into jewelry pendants, painted into a portrait, and swirled into crystals with a double-helix swirl representing the DNA, created by Crystal Remembrance™.
Learn more about the process and reasons for saving DNA at DNAMemorial.com.
Recorded at the 2014 National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) Convention and Expo in Nashville, Tennessee by Gail Rubin, CT, The Doyenne of Death®, host and author of the award-winning TV show and book, A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die.