It is doubtful that anyone would elect to be cryonically preserved without giving a huge amount of thought to the matter or have an avid interest in the science of cryonics. It is likely that if you do wish to undergo cryonic suspension in the hope that one day your body can be revived and cured of the disease which caused your death, you will meet hostile objections along the way. Cryonics is a legitimate science but its image is often misconceived as being incompatible with even the science of cryobiology, and regarded as some kind of fantasy grotesque futuristic play.
We each have only one life though, at the moment, and cryonics is the only opportunity so far to beat the odds, and have a second chance of life. There is a wide held belief too by those convinced that cryonics will lead to a person’s revival, that at the same time as revival is possible a ‘cure’ for old age may have been found too, thus leading to many more years of life.
One strong proponent of cryonics famously said “you can get another wife, but you can’t get another life.” This has far more of a ring of reality to it when one understands that the majority of cryonics enthusiasts are male, and face extreme hostility to the idea of their being cryonically suspended by both wives and girlfriends. On the occasions when a woman has been the one with the interest in the science then equally she has encountered opposition from her male partner. Part of that opposition comes down to money, a base flaw for those who want to buy themselves a chance at ‘immortality’.
This leads of course to the absolute necessity of having strong arrangements in place to deal with a planned suspension. If you are resolute in wanting it then it could indeed be necessary to divorce a spouse to avoid last minute intervention on their part which allows your brain to become too damaged for a successful suspension. It is essential beyond all other arrangements that a durable power of attorney is in place to ensure that your wishes are not interfered with by family members hostile to your intent, who would prefer to claim your inheritance than to honor your wishes.
Organizations which provide cryonic services are willing to work together, and the Reanimation Foundation has also been established which allows your assets to be held by yourself even when dead, which should be a great relief. Funds will be needed for your actual cryonic suspension, the storage of your body in suitable conditions to ensure its safety, and to be invested for the possibility of your future reanimation, re-entry and re-education costs.
The possibility of hostile relatives needs to be considered and dealt with before you go ahead and make actual arrangements. These are easy to make in comparison to dealing with the hostility towards what your relatives may consider a selfish move on your part, to deprive them of your money.
The three most respected organizations to approach regarding cryopreservation are Alcor Life Extension Foundation, The American Cryonics society, and TransTime. The latter is the only for profit organization. There is also Suspended Animation Inc which as a for profit organization which primarily deals with research. KrioRus is now also operational just outside Moscow.
Which ever organization you choose will require you to become a member and sign up to the emergency protocols which are necessary for when you die. You need to be able to fund your cryonic preservation, but this can be done through life insurance. Alcor state that they must become the owner of the life insurance policy, and the organizations in general want to see the balance of the policy, after initial suspension, held in trust. They are wise to insist on this after previous failures for a person’s wishes to be carried out due to lack of funds through family intervention.
You must make application to the organization you choose, and have a legal authority to be suspended. You must be able to provide funds. As an example Alcor charges $150,000 for a whole body suspension, and $80,000 for neurocryonic suspension. Funds are then held in a cryopreservation trust fund to deal with future costs. Alcor charge more than the average but this gives them the leeway to cope with rising storage costs or unforeseen events. Thus they have extra funds to prevent such eventualities as early thawing.
If you seriously want to take a chance on this technology then don’t be put off by the hostility and objections of others. To have your desires thwarted by someone who would actually be dead and gone by the time it may actually be viable for you to be thawed and revived is to deprive you of a unique opportunity to be at the forefront of a remarkable science. The technology is there to make it possible.
Source: “Is that what love is?” Mike Darwin
Alcor Life Extension Foundation
TransTime
American Cryonics Society
