Mom set to become first woman to be dissected on TV

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By Nasima Khatun

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A mom-of-two who died of cancer in 2020 is set to become the first woman to be dissected on TV.

Toni Crews, 30, from the United Kingdom, passed away two years ago after she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in the tear gland that ultimately led to her having her right eye removed.

Now, in what has been hailed as a television first, her body will be dissected on TV.

Per the Independent, My Dead Body will be narrated in Crews' own words, thanks to the use of voice-replicating ­technology and will show her body being cut up in a series of educational workshops intended to educate viewers on the "science of cancer."

Professor Claire Smith, the head of anatomy at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, will lead the workshops for a group of onlooking students.

Speaking of the show, the professor said: "As part of this documentary, we were able to invite more than 1,000 students, including nurses, paramedics, and neuroscientists, who wouldn’t normally get to learn about this one-in-a-million cancer.

"Toni’s gift of body donation doesn’t end with this documentary either; her body will be used to educate our medical students and doctors for years to come."

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Credit: www.bsms.ac.uk

As well as the dissection, Crews also agreed to have her body put on public display, making history as the first British body to be dissected in a public display for approximately 200 years.

Channel 4’s commissioning editor, Anna Anna Miralis, described the project as a "landmark documentary."

"This landmark documentary will bring together the latest in anatomical science and cutting-edge tech to tell one of the most intimate stories of all: how a young mom bravely fought for her life against a rare form of cancer," Miralis said.

"By donating her body to public display – the first of its kind in the UK," she continued, "Toni Crews has given us an extraordinary and unique insight into the journey of the disease; while the presence of her voice in the form of diary entries, letters and social media posts ensures the film is filled with all the warmth and generosity that characterised Toni’s inspiring life."

My Dead Body will be available to watch on the UK's Channel 4 early next month.

Featured Image Credit: Oleg Ivanov / Alamy