X-Message-Number: 0018.6
Subject: Cryonics FAQ: Part 6
Cryonics
Frequently Asked Question List
Section 6: Suspension Arrangements
Last Modified Sun Jan 29 15:13:42 1995
(You can fetch cryomsg "n" by sending mail to with the
subject line "CRYOMSG n", where "n" is a mesage number. There is
more about this in the answer to question 8-2. The index
to this FAQ list is cryomsg "0018.1". )
Copyright 1993 by Tim Freeman. See the end of Section 1 for
restrictions on redistribution.
6-1. How many people are frozen right now?
The July 1992 issue of Cryonics magazine, published by the Alcor
Life Extension Foundation, includes a status report of all the
approximately 60 people who have been cryonically suspended.
Over 40 of these are still in suspension today; the remainder have
been thawed and buried because their cryonics organization failed
financially. According to Mike Perry's July 1992 Cryonics magazine
summary of all known cryonic suspension patients, nobody suspended
since 1978 has been thawed out, with one possible exception of a
private suspension done in 1982 for which he has no further
information.
6-2. How is suspension paid for?
The person who makes the cryonics arrangements pays for suspension,
usually with life insurance. Some life insurance companies refuse
to accept a cryonics organization as the beneficiary. Check with
your insurance agent, or check with a cryonics organization for a
list of cooperative companies.
6-3. How will reanimation be paid for?
The cryonics organization, relatives, or some charity will pay for
reanimation if it happens. There is also the Reanimation Foundation,
which is an attempt to allow people to fund their own revival. See
also the answer to question 6-11.
6-4. What suspension organizations are available?
For a complete list of cryonics suspension organizations and other
cryonics-related organizations and publications, fetch cryomsg 0004.
This text from cryomsg 0004 describes the largest cryonic suspension
organizations:
Alcor is not only a membership and caretaking organization but also does
the cryonic suspensions, using Alcor employees, contract surgeons, and
volunteers.
Alcor Life Extension Foundation
7895 East Acoma Dr., Suite 110
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
(602) 922-9013 & (800) 367-2228
FAX (602) 922-9027
Email:
Cryonics magazine, monthly, $25./yr. USA,
$35./yr. Canada & Mexico, $40./yr. overseas
($10./yr. USA gift subscription for new subscriber)
The American Cryonics Society is the membership organization and the
suspensions and caretaking are done by Trans Time.
American Cryonics Society (ACS)
P.O. Box 761
Cupertino, CA 95015
(408) 734-4111
FAX (408) 973-1046, 24 hr FAX (408) 255-5433
Email:
Supporting membership, including American Cryonics and American
Cryonics News $35./yr. USA, $40. Canada & Mexico, $71. overseas
(Note: The Immortalist (below) includes American Cryonics News.)
CryoCare is a new organization (actually a group of organizations)
incorporated in late 1993 and opening for business in 1994.
The people creating it have been top cryonics supporters and
researchers for many years.
CryoCare Foundation
10627 Youngworth Road
Culver City, CA 90230
(800) 867-2273 (800-TOP-CARE)
Email: for both general information about
CryoCare and also back issues of CryoCare Report
The Cryonics Institute does its own suspension and caretaking of patients.
Cryonics Institute (CI)
24443 Roanoke
Oak Park, MI 48237
(313) 547-2316 & (313) 548-9549
The Immortalist Society, which has the same address and phone number,
publishes The Immortalist, monthly, $25./yr. USA, $30./yr. Canada
and Mexico, $40./yr. overseas. Airmail $52. Europe, $62. Asia or
Australia. A gift subscription ($15./yr. USA, $25. outside USA)
includes a free book (The Prospect of Immortality or Man Into
Superman).
The International Cryonics Foundation has arrangements with Trans Time to
do the cryonics suspensions and caretaking of patients.
International Cryonics Foundation
1430 N. El Dorado
Stockton, CA 95202
(209) 463-0429
(800) 524-4456
Trans Time does suspensions and caretaking for both ACS and ICF and also
has taken on suspension customers directly who didn't go through either
non-profit organization.
Trans Time, Inc.
10208 Pearmain St.
Oakland, CA 94603
510-639-1955
Email:
6-5. How can I get financial statements for the various organizations to
evaluate their stability?
At this point the best option is to send them paper mail or call
them and ask. I would like to eventually get current financial
statements from all of them on-line.
6-6. How hard will these people work to freeze me?
The Dora Kent case described above is an example. See question 4-3.
6-7. What obligations do the suspension organizations have to the people
they have suspended? Will they pay for revival and rehabilitation?
Alcor's Consent for Cryonic Suspension states "there are no
guarantees that any attempt will ever be made to return me to
healthy life". The Cryonic Suspension Agreement states "Alcor shall
use such methods as its good faith judgement determines will be most
likely to result in preservation and revival of the patient."
Reference: Alcor's book "Signing Up Made Simple", 1987, pages 45 and 55.
6-8. How long has this been going on?
Robert Ettinger proposed the idea in The Prospect of Immortality
which was published in 1964. According to the July 1992 issue of
Cryonics magazine, the first person suspended was Dr. James
Bedford. He was frozen on 12 Jan. 1967 at the age of 73 by the
Cryonics Society of California and is now with Alcor.
Bedford has never thawed during that time. When he was moved to
another dewar in 1991 (?) the original ice cubes were still intact
and several other signs indicated that he had never thawed out.
6-9. How much of the resources of the cryonics organizations are reserved
for reviving patients?
Alcor's approach to this is discussed in detail in CRFT page
A-36. They compute the costs of liquid nitrogen, dewar maintenance,
rent, etc., per year. The amount of the trust fund for each patient
is twice the amount necessary to pay for this indefinitely assuming
a 2% return on investment after inflation. The doubling
mentioned in the previous sentence is to provide a margin for error
and funds for revival.
Assuming that the costs of storage do not change, and a 2%
return on investment, and the most efficient storage for a
neurosuspension patient, the value of the fund in 1991 dollars y
years after suspension is
$3300 + ($3300 * (1.02 ^ y))
The corresponding figures for the least efficient storage for a
whole-body patient are
$84357 + ($84357 * (1.02 ^ y))
Alcor's minimum fee for suspension and storage does not depend on how
they are going to do the storage, so it isn't clear to me how the
numbers derived in CRFT page A-36 should compare to Alcor's suspension
minimums.
6-10. How can uncooperative relatives derail suspensions?
Someone confronted with the death of a close relative is likely to do
everything possible to postpone or prevent it, even after there is
clearly no hope of the potential suspendee ever regaining
consciousness. This leads naturally to continuing hospital life
support in marginal circumstances, which can lead to months of brain
ischemia before the suspension happens. Also, cancers tend to
metastasize, and given enough time and enough life support, they are
likely to metastasize to the brain and consume much of it. By the
time suspension happens, there may not be much to suspend.
It is important for your relatives to understand what is going to
happen. In particular, if you have arranged for neurosuspension, you
don't want your relatives to do something surprising when they figure
out that the people from your cryonics organization are at some point
going to surgically remove your head.
6-11. How should I deal with relatives who will not cooperate with my
suspension arrangements?
Use a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care to prevent uncooperative
relatives from derailing any cryonics arrangements you make. The idea
is to make sure that the person making decisions about your health
cooperate with your desire to be suspended. At one time, Alcor
published a list of people willing to accept the power of attorney; I
do not know whether they still do this.
Steve Bridge, president of Alcor, has fairly much experience dealing with
relatives of suspendees. He describes some of this in CRYOMSG
2203.1.
6-12. What if my spouse does not approve of my suspension
arrangements?
The legal maneuvers described in Question 6-11 apply here as well.
Assuming you would rather persuade your spouse instead of simply putting up
a good legal defense, it may help to let your spouse meet other people
interested in cryonics. Steve Bridge talked about this in CRYOMSG
369.
6-13. What practical things can I do to increase my chances
of being suspended well?
Since no existing cryonics organization has the resources to establish
relationships with coroners, morticians, and physicians near each of their
members, some of this work becomes responsibility of the members. Also,
there are useful, simple things that can be done locally before the suspension
team arives. Cryomsg 0026 has much to say about this.
6-14. How can I pay for my own revival and rehabilitation, and keep some of
my financial assets after revival?
The Reanimation Foundation is set up to enable you to "take it with you"
and provide financial support for your reanimation, reeducation, and
reentry. It is based in Liechtenstein, which does not have a Rule Against
Perpetuities, and thus allows financial assets to be owned by a person
long after the person is declared legally dead.
Reanimation Foundation
c/o Saul Kent
16280 Whispering Spur
Riverside, CA 92504
(800) 841-LIFE
6-15. Is Walt Disney frozen?
No. There was a time when all of the cryonics organizations would
tell you this. Since then Alcor (possibly among others) has realized
that if they admit when an individual is not frozen, then it is
possible to infer by elimination who is frozen, which they have in
many cases agreed to keep secret. Thus Alcor will no longer say
anything informative about whether Disney was frozen. Nevertheless,
Disney is not frozen.
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