Mother-of-two Toni Crews was "shocked" to learn the rare eye cancer she had bravely fought was going to claim her life. But the inspirational 30-year-old was determined to be remembered as a positive person.
She also wanted to make a difference to others. So she made the decision to gift her body to science to help research ito the disease.
And taking that one step further she waived her anonymity, hoping to keep her memory alive. And in a British TV first the dissection of her body will be aired on Channel 4 with Toni hoping the show will "educate millions".
And along with the medical details, the show also provides a moving account of her fight against the tear gland cancer that claimed her life, reports The Mirror.
In the programme My Dead Body, Toni can be heard narrating her own story by the use of voice-replicating technology that weaves in diary entries and letters she wrote to family and friends. She tells how the decision to donate her body made her feel happy, saying: “This gives me peace for the future.”
The mum-of-two, from Deal, Kent, died in 2020 aged 30 from the very rare form of cancer. She was diagnosed in 2016 and had to have her right eye removed.
Tragically the disease returned in 2018. Toni then decided to continue to raise awareness about it – even after death.
Her parents Jo and Jason Crews told how they were determined to carry out their daughter’s wishes because she was so certain she wanted it as her legacy. The film shows a room full of students watching as Professor Claire Smith, head of anatomy at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, leads a series of workshops in which different parts of Toni’s body are examined.
Including interviews with her parents, grandparents, siblings and pals, the extraordinary documentary aims to educate viewers on the science of cancer and how it makes its way through the human body. Prof Smith admits she’s “nervous”, having never performed a dissection quite like Toni’s before.
She explains: “We have been so privileged to explore the journey of cancer through the incredible donation made by Toni. 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.” Prof Smith says she hopes the research performed by her team will make Toni’s parents feel “proud”.
Channel 4 commissioning editor Anna Miralis said the film, to air next month, tells “one of the most intimate stories of all, how a young mum bravely fought for her life against a rare form of cancer”.
She added: “By donating her body to public display, the first of its kind in the UK, Toni Crews has given us an extraordinary and unique look into the journey of the disease. While the presence of her voice in the form of diary entries and letters and social media posts ensures the film is filled with all the warmth and generosity that characterised Toni’s inspiring life.”
At the start of the film, Toni admits her terminal diagnosis came as a huge shock because she was only 30. But she is keen to be remembered as a positive person, laughing with her friends and enjoying ice cream.
The film ends with some of the heartfelt words she wrote to her children, reminding them to be kind and happy – and telling them their mum will love them forever.
My Dead Body comes 20 years after Channel 4 made history with its Autopsy programme. In it, Professor Gunther Von Hagens carried out a post mortem on a 72-year-old German man.
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