Recent Alcor Deployment

Response Team Activity
Aaron Drake and Steve Graber were deployed to Missouri in mid-July. We had received an urgent call regarding a 96-year-old member who was having difficulty breathing due to a bout of pneumonia. The head nurse had contacted Alcor a few weeks earlier to say that it may be time to consider hospice care for this elderly member, but his family was not ready for such a drastic change. Based on the initial level of concern expressed by the head nurse, the Alcor deployment committee immediately dispatched our emergency responders.

Suspended Animation deployed two team members to drive their emergency response vehicle to Missouri as a precautionary measure. By the time the Alcor team landed, the member had been hospitalized and quickly began showing signs of recovery. Over the next few days he recovered enough to return to the nursing home and the emergency responders soon departed.

This remote deployment was a good learning experience. The Alcor team met with the member’s supportive son and the hospice nurses. They discussed hospice care in Arizona, which would greatly benefit the member’s cryopreservation.

The team also laid some groundwork with the hospital where the member is often admitted due to recurring difficulties. All told, it was a worthwhile reconnaissance.