Although noted under “What’s new on the Alcor website?”, this blog did not previously note the publication of two case reports:
A-3079 case report, a 2017 whole body case from overseas, and A-2887, Herbert Drazen, a 2018 case from New York.
Biostasis.com is the world’s largest independent website about cryonics and medical human biostasis and official host of the Scientist’s Open Letter on Cryonics. Since its inception in 2007 by Aschwin de Wolf as the Depressed Metabolism blog and as the publishing platform of the non-profit Institute for Evidence-Based Cryonics (2008-2018), this website has been a repository of important historical documents and a vehicle for high-quality cryonics writings. Many of its writers are closely associated with the Alcor Life Extension Foundation. 2019 will see a fresh burst of activity, including the announcement of the first medical human biostasis protocol, the launch of new initiatives to encourage cryonics revival research, and the publication of more historical cryonics and life extension documents.
A confidential Alcor member (A-1661) with neurocryopreservation arrangements, died suddenly in Scottsdale, Arizona on January 2, 2019.
She was found by a friend who called Alcor immediately. The paramedics were called and she was transported to the hospital where she was legally pronounced deceased on January 2, 2019. Alcor worked with the Medical Examiner and the member was released to Alcor within hours of her legal death. A-1661 became Alcor’s 165th patient that same day.
Norman Hardy, a non-confidential, neurocryopreservation Alcor member was pronounced legally deceased on October 30, 2018, in Mountain View, CA.
This was an important milestone for Alcor and for cryonics as this is the first time Death With Dignity legislation was used to reduce the potential ischemic damage that can result when additional biological damage is sustained during a prolonged dying process.
On October 21, 2018 Alcor Life Extension (Alcor) notified Suspended Animation (SA) that member A-1990, a member who has been closely watched for the past few months, decided that he wanted to end his life using physician approved End of Life medications (EOL). Mr. Hardy had been diagnosed with terminal metastatic prostate cancer that had spread to the bones, and lungs. His pain had been poorly managed, and Norman had been looking to end his life as soon as possible.
Initially, Mr. Hardy said that he was going to take his EOL prescription the same Wednesday. This set off our alarms bell since two days was insufficient for us to prepare for a case in unprecedented circumstances. Alcor had requested that the member hold off on taking his EOL medications until a thorough investigation into the End of Life Option Act in California had been reviewed. Fortunately, Mr. Hardy relented, giving us a week to prepare.
Chris Divver, Alcor’s Medical Response Director, and Dr. Steve Harris, Alcor’s Chief Medical Advisor, together with other Alcor staff and Suspended Animation personnel worked for over a week to ensure that all legal requirements were in place. The hospice facility and the family members all cooperated with Alcor to make this case work seamlessly. SA was deployed to the patient’s location on October 29, 2018. Chris Divver arrived on Wednesday October 26 and stayed until Mr. Hardy’s pronouncement, field washout, and air ambulance flight to Scottsdale on October 30.
Alcor member A-2811, a confidential, neurocryopreservation member, was pronounced legally deceased on October 17, 2018, in Scottsdale, Arizona and became Alcor’s 163rd patient.
This patient was the father of an existing Alcor member who had relocated his father to Scottsdale in order to prevent ischemic damage associated with transit times and to take advantage of the best protocols Alcor has to offer. The member had stage 4 cancer that had metastasized.
International Cryomedicine Experts (ICE) was deployed to standby and stabilize the member. The standby lasted five days. There were considerable challenges with a skilled nursing facility that would not cooperate, but the member was successfully relocated to a hospice facility in time to mount a successful standby and stabilization.
Sunday, December 16th – 3:00-7:00 pm
Address: 381 N Fernwood Circle, Sunnyvale CA, 94085
Potluck – Please bring a dish to share
There is a 381 S Fernwood Circle nearby. That house has a beautiful front garden, ours has very simple bushes.
The next Alcor Northern California meeting will be:
When: Sunday, October 21st at 3:00 p.m.
Where: 3181 Surmont Drive, Lafayette, CA
Alcor member A-2067, a confidential, neurocryopreservation member, was pronounced on September 18, 2018 in Scottsdale, Arizona. He had been in an assisted-living facility for several years. Alcor requested a Suspended Animation-led standby on September 14. Because there was no on-call RN who could pronounce at his location in Utah, we successfully transported him from Utah to Scottsdale by air ambulance – something made possible by the availability of above-minimum funding. The member arrived in Scottsdale on the night of September 16. ICE (International Cryomedicine Experts) took over at that point. He became Alcor’s 162nd patient on September 18, 2018.
More details will be added to this case summary after review and validation.
On Monday September 17, 2018, following a series of interviews with promising candidates, Alcor offered the position of Medical Response Director to Christopher Divver. Chris accepted and began work the same day.
Chris comes to Alcor with more than 35 years of public service. Chris joined the U.S. Navy in 1990, having served overseas during the first Gulf War aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) fueling aircraft. Afterwards, Chris volunteered as a firefighter and hazardous materials technician and eventually was hired by a fire department in New Jersey, where, after 20 years of service, he retired as a company officer.
Chris has been a National Registry paramedic since 1999 and a State of Arizona certified paramedic since 2017, with proficiency in both ground and flight settings. He has a Master of Public Administration degree from Argosy University with an undergrad degree in Fire Science from Columbia Southern University. In addition to a Certified Public Manager certification from Arizona State University, Chris was the first company officer from his fire department to be accepted to and graduate from the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy—a four-year management and leadership course that examines how to exercise leadership when dealing with difficult or unique community challenges.
Chris has authored several published research papers, print and electronic magazine articles, as well as two novels. He lives in Peoria, AZ with his wife, Karen, and their two fur-babies, Clark and Ellen.
You can find contact information for Chris on the Christopher Divver page.
Extensive actuarial analysis of the effects of members with funding below current cryopreservation minimums. At the 2018 Annual Meeting, the following resolution was made and affirmed:
Move $47,0000 from Reserves into the Underfunding Fund and keep the Underfunding Dues percentage at 2%.