X-Message-Number: 18308 Date: Sun, 06 Jan 2002 23:00:57 -0800 From: James Bryan Swayze <> Subject: Bob, May I help/Welcome to Cryonet Toby References: <> > > > Message #18286 > From: > Date: Thu, 3 Jan 2002 19:38:22 EST > Subject: flattery > > > > I have been repeatedly asked to update The Prospect of Immortality, and will > probably do so, although I'm still not 100% convinced it's worth the bother. > Over 70% of Americans now have access to the Internet, which means they have > access to our web site, with its ongoing extension and updating, and much, > much more material than in Lemler's book or in a new edition of Prospect. But > hard copy lying on a prospect's table has definite advantages too. > > Anyway, thanks for the copy. I'm sure it will advance Alcor and cryonics > generally. Bob, If you do update "Prospect for Immortality" could I perhaps return in a very small way the favor you and CI have done for me with your instigating the Swayze fund to amalogomate all the donations on my behalf and your personal donation by helping you with the book in any way you feel comfortable with? I could proof read and submit art for the cover subject approval and anything else you may feel me capable of. > > Message #18288 > From: "Toby Christensen" <> > Date: Fri, 04 Jan 2002 10:53:03 +0800 > Subject: Cryonics for the disabled > > Hello everyone. It is my belief that cryonics presents an opportunity for disabled people like myself to be helped via future medical technologies and that this is an area that needs more focus. > > What do all of you think? > > Toby > -- > Toby and all, We think you are most correct with some things to consider though. I myself am a quadriplegic. My health is very poor and it's my fervent wish to be able to take advantage of the medical breakthroughs surely to come that could restore my health and my abilty to be ambulatory. I have a few other friends also in my physical predicament but I haven't, though I have tried often, been able to get them interested. One is not too science oriented and I think is banking on heaven and the other I'm unsure, it's hard to pin him down. He makes positive comments but never gives it a serious effort. Don are you listening? He's supposed to be lurking or said he was, now I'll find out if he was just saying so to shut me up. ;) So I'm happy to welcome you Toby to the Cryonet list. One problem with getting disabled people involved is the worst problem of all for getting involved--lack of financial ability. This is because one may wish to be involved but not have the means and this could be very heartbreaking to deal with. Trust me I know. See my first post here as a reference. I think it could be said that I took out this frustration in that first post on some folks here having a discussion about euthanasia. I let everyone have it with both barrels about what my opinion of true suffering was and how it could drive one to seek oblivion if given no other choice. I expected to not be well received but instead everyone was genuine and gracious and the next day some were pledging donations. John, Bob, and Jan all bring up good points. Some, those Jan raises, I have talked about here before for my own situation. However, though I was aware that even a burial plot is not aloud, I wonder about funeral insurance. It wouldn't come near to being enough but I wonder if there might be a way to wiggle around some state's laws with it. Many disabled people find themselves in that condition very young often before getting established with things like life insurance and by then their health now is not conducive to getting "proper" life insurance capable of meeting the needs for suspension without harsh conditional clauses and expensive premiums if one can get covered at all. I wish their was a Bill Gates level of wealth type person involved in cryonics that perhaps saw the efficacy of offering to fund a special fund that would fund a disabled person's suspension for every two or so signing up that could fund their own, just as publicity to get the general public to take a more serious look. It would be ibn this wealthy individual's interst to do this because the more public we get involved the stronge4r we get, the more liklyhood of favorable legislation, the more possiblity to attract more great minds to the efrfort, hence better insuring the wealthy persons own chances. If we weren't seen to be ambulance chasing and simply after the coffers of the imfirm, rational people couldn't wrongly call into question our motives and sanity. Some, a few malcontents, would still see this as controversial twisting it to appear we were putting the unsighlty on ice out of public view. Some people will never get the fact we mean to save lives and renew lost ones. Speaking of renewing lost lives. I lost much of mine from my injury, at least shortened this go round (not speaking reincarnation but pre/post ice) and severely altered the tolerability of the life I have. I'm happy to say my involvement with the people of Cryonet has much altered this for the good and I am better able to cope and as well partly the way to being funded for suspension. Kennita asks, how close/far from the goal but I really don't know going on Bob's conditions laid down for the fund. I could guess but would rather leave it to CI handling the fund on my behalf. I have goals of my own though. I hope that Bob's generous pledge that kick started the fund and was enourmous will be offset to some degree by pledges exceeding his goal. I hope to be around long enough to see that offset and also if possible do something with my own efforts to help. So I'm extremely pleased to thank *Dr. Tim Freeman for his donation that helps greatly toward this goal. Any of you out there that have "hometown hero" spotlights on your local TV/newspaper, might cosider nominating Bob and all the donors and get us all some free publicity... another purpose and goal of my fund, publicity for Cryonics and CI. * I understand Dr. Freeman's email is down and so I hope he can read a hand written (chicken scrawl) letter from me because my printer's broke...oh yeah, he's a doctor...well it's a cinch then. ;) Ok, now the bad news. I have hesitated bringing this up because I just went through surgery as most of you know and may know I've not had a good time of it since with pain and other complications and I really hate alarming people but you all are my friends and you'd likely be upset for not saying something. Now it seems I have a basal cell skin cancer that will get operated on in February. It shouldn't be a big deal. It's not malignant, don't even think that kind can be, but to be honest I can't help wonder "What's next?". I have to thank Santa yet as I learned of it just before xmas, guess I have been naughty, huh? ;) James -- My website: http://www.davidpascal.com/swayze A collection of photos of me and some of my artwork: http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4292752723&code=2039335&mode=invite A radio interview on Dr. J's ChangeSurfer Radio program with me and the father of cryonics Prof. Robert Ettinger, author of "The Prospect of Immortality": http://www.radio4all.net/proginfo.php?id=3728 Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=18308