Arnie (Arnulf) Koeppen, MD
VA Medical Center
113 Holland Ave
Albany, NY 12208
518-626-6373
518-229-4765 (cell)
arnulf.koeppen@med.va.gov
Mary-Lisa Orth
520-616-9883 (hm)
520-663-8779 (wk)
520-446-8893 (pg)
520-403-0577 (cell)
rocketmom@att.net
For FRDA (FA), the desired organs are as
follows: brain, spinal cord, dorsal root ganglia, peripheral nerve, and heart
are desirable, so most of the body is available for
cremation or burial.
If the person dies at or near a teaching hospital, the logistics of getting
the organs to Arnie are straight-forward. Arnie's lab is located in Albany,
NY. The body needs to be under refrigeration within 4 hours of death. It needs
to be refrigerated, not frozen. A pathologist needs to harvest the organs. Not
all hospitals have a pathologist, so again, die near a major medical center.
For the organs to be of use, Arnie must receive them at his lab between 24 and
48 hours from the time of death.
There should be no expense on your part. The only
expense I have ever been aware of was having the funeral home drive
the body to the hospital. We have now added a
little extra into Arnie's budget for such things.
With my father, we found that UCLA has a service to pick up the body. This
is important to know if the person dies at home. (A police officer needs to
declare the death prior to transport. Hospice can also do it.) If the death is
in a hospital, they will take care of the details. It's important that the
body be refrigerated within 6 hours of death.
There is no paper work to be done in advance. The next of kin just needs to
sign one form and that is it. If you feel the time is near, it is nice to have
a little warning, but all you need to do is call me or Dr. Koeppen. I
typically make the first contact with Arnie because it is easier on the
family, but you are welcome to call him for more information. His work number
and e-mail is above. His cell phone is 518-229-4765.
He keeps this on 24/7.
For the 5 or 6 donations I have arranged, the parents have called me a few
hours before death and then immediately following.
You can call me at any time - day or night.
Mary-Lisa Orth
(FA Parent)
520-616-9883 (hm)
520-663-8779 (wk)
520-446-8893 (pg)
520-403-0577 (cell)
