No one expected to have this brain so soon, and Aliria would likely have lived much longer if not for her cancer. Aliria’s daughter Rocío Villegas-Piedrahita said that her mother was aware that her brain would be donated to science, “and she was fine with it. We even joked that it was the ‘golden brain.’”

Ms. Villegas-Piedrahita said it seemed to her that Alzheimer’s research — drug research, especially — had stagnated. “The death of my mom, as sad as it is for us, may have opened many doors,” she said. Her older sister, Magaly Villegas-Piedrahita, agreed: “We’re not selfish. We wanted to donate this brain. We just hope the field can advance.”

‘This is a historic moment’

The brain bank at the University of Antioquia is staffed by medical faculty, residents and students, who communicate by WhatsApp messages and must be ready to move upon news of a death. Brain tissue deteriorates quickly, and samples must be fixed in preservative or frozen within a few hours to be useful.

On the morning of Nov. 10, Dr. Andrés Villegas, the director of the brain bank, solemnly shared news of Aliria’s death with his colleagues. “This is a historic moment,” he wrote. The team had not worked with the brain of an extreme outlier before, and it was unclear to Dr. Villegas whether other researchers had, either. But Dr. Villegas said he was also saddened. Many in the research group had come to regard Aliria as a friend, and her death from cancer had been painful and premature.

His colleague Dr. David Aguillon, in the meantime, took a taxi to extend condolences to Aliria’s family and receive their final consent papers. Dr. Aguillon had cared for Aliria in recent years and accompanied her on study visits to Boston. During their last trip, in April 2019, when Aliria was still recovering from a knee surgery, he had pushed her all around the cold and rainy city in a wheelchair, a memory she cherished for what remained of her life.