5 Ridiculous Questions with Jamie Decker

by Tim Miner on January 9, 2020

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Jamie Decker
Founder of Experience Anatomy

Jamie Decker is a self-proclaimed, straight-up “anatomy nerd.” In 2007, she toured the traveling Body Worlds exhibition created by Dr. Gunther von Hagens (seen by more than 44 million people, the most visited exhibition in the world) at Discovery Place. That experience excited her so much, she sought Dr. von Hagens out at a conference and received a personal invitation from him to study his organ plastination process with him in Germany — a process that preserves organ tissues indefinitely without changing their color or weight. To date, Jamie has the distinction of being the only American who has extensively trained under von Hagens’ at his plastination company. Jamie believes everybody needs to take charge of their own health by understanding how their bodies work. She founded Experience Anatomy to help train medical professionals and show the general public what they look like under the hood.

Jamie recently joined Kristen Miranda on WBTV’s QC@3 to show off some of her favorite plastinated organs.

And, now … we ask her 5 ridiculous questions.

Which New Year’s Resolution have you already broken?
To make a New Year’s Resolution at all. While I am goal-oriented, I’m not super motivated by the calendar year changing. It’s more of a continuum.

Go back in time to High School Jamie, growing up in CLT … now, give us a quick description of how you feel about the Queen City?
I thought Charlotte was big, but empty. I remember occasionally going Uptown and laying on the sidewalks to look up at the buildings from with a worm’s eye view. It’s a cool perspective, but the sidewalks are busier now than they were then.

We love your glasses so much. But, if you had to get a new pair to change up your look, what would you get?
Funny story. I recently DID get a new pair of glasses, because my infamous green frames are taking a beating. The woman fitting me for glasses immediately said “the only thing I have to top your current Prada’s are this pair of Tiffany’s” and it’s the only pair I tried on, and subsequently brought, but I can’t bring myself to retire my mean greens.

How many bones have you broken in life?
Aside from the standard fingers and toes, I have broken my collarbone, have had a “boxer’s fracture” in my hand from punching a grown man in the head, and several years ago I broke my 12th rib and fractured several others just by twisting around a chair to pop my back. I’ve never broken a large bone or needed a cast though.

What’s the most humerus thing someone has said to you while seeing your plastinated organs?
Probably when my at-the-time-3-year-old saw the stomach you guys know well, and asked if it came from his Aunt Rick (my sister, Erica), who luckily has a great sense of humor and also shares my love for food. Kids DO say the darnedest things.

And, one to grow on …

We’re big fans of Three Bone Theatre here in Charlotte … ummm … what three bones are these? If they become Four Bone Theatre, which bone would you add and why?

I’m new to Three Bone Theatre and love this new find! So… good news and bad news.. one of these bones is not human (the “wishbone”), but is found in birds.. similar to the clavicle, or collarbone, in humans; the other is several bones (the backbone, made up of 33 individual vertebrae), and finally the “funny bone,” which I’m assuming is referring to the humerus, however, that tickling sensation is caused by a nerve- ulnar nerve- not a bone! SO the bone(s) I would add to their philosophy of “To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funny bone.” would be ossicles. The tiniest three bones in the body that are found in the middle ear and are needed for hearing.

Watch Jamie on WBTV’s QC@3

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