To read more about our new readiness coordinator click here: Steve Graber Bio

A-2371, who maintained confidentiality with respect to his membership, resided in Cleveland, Ohio. Alcor initiated an eight-day standby when the member fell critically ill during the month of May. The standby ended when the member's condition improved and he was inevitably discharged from the hospital. Roughly a month later however, the individual returned to the hospital and was placed on life support. When all efforts to correct his medical issues had failed the family made the decision to discontinue all supportive measures. Anticipating that this action would result in clinical death, the family preferred to wait until the entire team and equipment were in place at the member's bedside.

Suspended Animation was requested to join Alcor's Aaron Drake, already on standby, for a full deployment. All team members, including a surgeon and perfusionist, were in place prior to discontinuing the life support. The member's health continued to decline for another 18 hours before he was pronounced by hospital staff. Immediate stabilization, cool down and a field washout were performed and the patient was shipped to Alcor by air ambulance. We achieved full perfusion of the brain and an estimated net perfusion of 95%, including the body. On June 11th, A-2371 becomes our 96th patient.

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A-1556, who remains confidential at the request of the family, was suffering with end-stage dementia in California. The family moved their father to Scottsdale to be close to Alcor in his final days. After a short stay in the hospital, physicians determined the individual could no longer eat or drink and that hospice care was the best option. The member was transferred to a hospice facility that is located only ten minutes from Alcor's facilities, and a standby was established.

Aaron Drake and various members of Arizona's response team, along with Sandra Russell from Critical Care Research, rotated shifts over the course of the next six days until the member was pronounced. Immediate bedside stabilization and cool down began with the member being transferred by Alcor's Rescue Vehicle to a waiting surgical team at Alcor Central. Cryoprotection procedures ensued and we achieved terminal perfusion. On June 24th, A-1556 became Alcor's 97th patient.

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Alcor member Dr. Darius Nelson, A-2158, practiced medicine in Southern California. He had long suffered from prostate cancer that generated a roller coaster of health issues. While not ill enough to launch a standby, Darius' health was fragile and Alcor felt it was prudent to pre-position a mini-med kit at his home a few months ago. This was due to his specific circumstances - 24 hour nursing care and cryonics friends that lived close by - both who were willing to assist in administering the medications in the event of an unexpected clinical death.

On Sunday morning, June 27th, after appearing to have a very good day with respect to his health, Darius stopped breathing. His health care provider immediately called Alcor's emergency number upon confirming his condition and also contacted a local Alcor member who was a close personal friend of Darius. Within the hour, he was pronounced, the pre-positioned medications were administered and the patient was immersed in ice. A local mortuary was called and they transferred the patient to Critical Care Research (CCR) while Southern California team members delivered the remaining med kit. Dr. Harris and his team administered the remaining medications, performed a washout and prepped the patient for transport.

We were faced with a potential straight freeze of this patient because the vital statistics office would not open for another day. To avoid this outcome, we chose to modify our typical whole body surgical procedure. CCR performed a washout on the entire body and isolated the cephalon for immediate transport to Alcor via air ambulance. The trunk was then perfused by CCR, placed on dry ice, and transported to Alcor after the transfer permit was obtained. Technically we achieved terminal perfusion on both the cephalon and the trunk. However, we remain concerned that the cephalon perfusion statistically appeared less than optimal. Darius is now Alcor's 98th patient.

For more info and directions please contact Mark Galeck at mark_galeck@pacbell.net.

The German Society for Applied Biostasis (DGAB) organizes its first scientific symposium. It has the title "Applied Cryobiology - Scientific Symposium on Cryonics" and will be held in autumn 2010.

The DGAB was established in May 2006. Aim of the association is the promotion of research and application of biostasis methods, especially of cryonics, for life-extension.

The symposium is a pioneering event. Its aim is to emphasize the scientific fundamentals of cryonics. Scientists from universities and cryonic research-facilities all over the world present the state of the art of science.

During the symposium the "Robert-Ettinger-Medal" for outstanding merits in the field of cryonics will be awarded for the first time. Robert Ettinger is regarded to be the "father of cryonics". He established the Cryonics Institute in Michigan (USA) and is known to be a pioneer of transhumanism. His books "The Prospect of Immortality" and "Man into Superman" are essential works in the fields of cryonics and transhumanism.

The symposium "Applied Cryobiology" will be held at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Goslar, Germany, from 1st to 3rd October. For more information contact Homepage: http://symposium2010.biostase.de

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Board Report
June 5, 2010

In mid-May, we cryopreserved 92-year-old Paul Garfield, a neuropreservation patient. Paul was a dedicated member of Alcor for 20 years and a long-time volunteer at the organization. Even in his 90's Paul maintained an active lifestyle, often going dancing and visiting Alcor weekly. After being hospitalized in early 2009, he moved out of state to live with relatives. Alcor developed a cordial relationship with his son, who expressed a desire to honor his father's wish for cryopreservation, despite personal reservations. The son informed Alcor in March that Paul had suffered a stroke and was undergoing physical therapy. On May 11, Paul was admitted to hospice care after his condition deteriorated, possibly due to another stroke. Alcor immediately deployed Aaron Drake and Suspended Animation to perform a standby that ultimately lasted about a day. Several Alcor Texas team members also offered assistance gathering supplies, providing transportation, and participating in the standby. Following pronouncement, Suspended Animation immediately began stabilization procedures and performed a successful field washout. He arrived in Alcor's operating room approximately 20 hours post-pronouncement, and we achieved terminal perfusion. Paul became Alcor's 95th patient.

Earlier in the month, we had received an emergency call regarding a member with lymphoma who had been hospitalized in Ohio. We had been tracking this member's health condition as part of our watch list program. We were receiving mixed signals regarding his condition and decided to deploy Aaron Drake on May 4 to perform a wellness check. During the five-day deployment, Aaron met the member, his family and health care providers. The deployment was ended when the member showed sufficient signs of recovery, but the visit afforded us the opportunity to lay the groundwork with his health care providers, who would largely become our source of information thereafter. We continued to closely monitor his condition and were contacted by his nurse when his health further deteriorated. On June 3, Aaron was again deployed to do a wellness check.

Late this month, we were visited by an 85-year-old member who was moved to the Phoenix area by his supportive daughter. He was unable to communicate, which is particularly disconcerting for those of us who have known him for years. Although we did not enjoy seeing him in that condition, we are glad he is now living only a few miles from Alcor central. We also received a last-minute case inquiry on our emergency line from a gentleman who was seeking to cryopreserve his hospitalized mother. He has not yet provided the information necessary for Alcor to further assess his request.

Following our back-to-back cryopreservation of hospice patients last month, we had the pleasure of hosting a visit from several representatives of one of our local hospice providers. It was a valuable opportunity to give and receive feedback about our mutual experience. Several logistical details were discussed to ensure an optimal process in the future, such as where to park the Alcor vehicle and how to minimize the disruptiveness of our thumper. (We have now upgraded to the quieter Lucas 2). We explained the aspects of their service that are critical to our objectives, such as timely pronouncement. We have also been assigned our own private room near the exit, for the most expeditious transport to Alcor. It was a positive meeting and we look forward to continuing our mutually beneficial association.

Our dewar provider has finished its testing of Bigfoot #10, and the boiloff rate is higher than desired at 17 liters per day. (Apparently the initial result of about 10 liters per day was not reliable, as suspected.) We are at least two to three years away from running out of dewar space, considering our current caseload. Therefore, we have requested the patient care trust board's approval of funding for additional dewars. We plan to offer a financial incentive if our dewar provider is able to further improve its boiloff rate.

Randal's redesign of the whole body enclosure is now complete and the table is ready for testing. Hugh Hixon will work with Joel Andersen and Randal to conduct the necessary tests. Randal also built the back plates and shelving for six ATPs. Steve Graber will assemble the remaining components with assistance from Hugh.

We hired a new professional employer organization this month, following a significant increase in the cost of doing business with ADP TotalSource. D'Bora and Bonnie devoted significant time to this project, interviewing several firms, providing them with information, and managing all the necessary setup with the new firm. Their efforts are appreciated.

On the financial side, the A/R report indicates collection efforts are warranted for delinquent membership dues and CMS payments. The total outstanding balance for those 61-90 days past due is ~$13k and those over 90 days past due total ~$72k. This represents a 5% increase over the past two months. Bonnie plans to send duplicate invoices and/or collection notices to the members who are behind on their dues.

Respectfully Submitted,
Jennifer Chapman
Executive Director
ALCOR FOUNDATION

To review previous Executive Director's board reports, visit the Alcor staff page.

Alcor retained counsel in Las Vegas, Nevada to enforce the Arizona judgment against Mr. Johnson, and a hearing is currently scheduled for June 22, 2010 to ask that the Nevada court remand Mr. Johnson into custody and have him extradited to Arizona.

Continue reading "Response to Larry Johnson Media Allegations"

Dr. Aubrey de Grey will present a brief synopsis of his Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS) for regeneration and rejuvenation. Ben Best will reply with his view of shortcomings of the SENS approach, and how these shortcomings can be addressed. Discussion will include such matters as biomarkers of aging, mechanisms of aging, use of dietary supplements and the relevance of cryonics.

Date: Sunday, June 6, 2010
Time: 7:30pm - 10:00pm
Location: Roots Organic Brewing
Address: 1520 SE 7TH, Portland, OR

This will be no ordinary Cryonics Oregon meeting! Promotional materials from Alcor, CI, and SENS will be there as well.

To cover the rent of the space a minimum donation of $5.00 per person will be collected.

Attendees under 21 are allowed until 10:00 pm.

Due to David's youthful age of 46, his clinical death was referred to the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner's office. Alcor initially tried to prevent the autopsy from occurring, however the medical examiner said he was obligated under the law to perform the autopsy unless the court said otherwise. Through legal counsel, Alcor was successful in negotiating with the courts to allow for a virtual autopsy to be performed in place of the typically more invasive procedure. After a CT scan was performed and the medical examiner was satisfied with the results, they agreed to release the body to Suspended Animation, who was working on Alcor's behalf.

Since three and a half days had elapsed from the time David was pronounced until Alcor received custody of the body, it was decided that a dry ice shipment through commercial airlines was the best option. Suspended Animation made the arrangements, prepared the shipment and David arrived in Scottsdale the following day. David Hayes (A-1712L) became Alcor's 92nd patient.

Through careful planning, we were able to have two members admitted into the same Hospice of the Valley facility, literally across the hall from each other. This allowed Alcor’s Arizona team to carefully monitor both members’ conditions simultaneously, 24 hours a day. Having three team members and Alcor’s Rescue Vehicle on site, we were able to provide immediate stabilization and cool down procedures and exceptionally quick transfer from time of pronouncement to Alcor’s surgery suite in 40 minutes and 32 minutes, respectively.

These cases were very important as they tested numerous benchmarks of Alcor’s abilities:
• How quickly Alcor could recover and reset for another patient.
• The abilities of the redeveloped and retrained Arizona team.
• The functionality of the recently remodeled Rescue Vehicle.
• The application of new stabilization equipment and supplies.
• The effectiveness of promoting that Alcor members relocate to
Scottsdale when they enter into hospice.

The real benefit of all of our preparations, training and planning is to our members, who reportedly received excellent perfusions.

Until Yumi met the requirements for inpatient care, hospice nurses regularly visited her at home. During this time, we communicated almost daily with her husband and the hospice personnel. When it became apparent Yumi had transitioned to the “active dying process,” her husband transferred her to inpatient care at a facility, located about 10 minutes from Alcor central.

The evening before her transfer, we launched a standby, which ultimately lasted four days. She was pronounced on April 14th with the Alcor standby team at her bedside. The emergency stabilization process was begun immediately following pronouncement, and she arrived at Alcor 40 minutes later. She is now in long-term care as Alcor’s 93rd patient.

Wes was admitted to Hospice of the Valley and after five days as an inpatient, Wes took a turn for the worse. Having just completed Yumi’s cryopreservation, Alcor was back on standby with little recuperation time. On April 15th, about 30 hours after Yumi was pronounced, Wes became Alcor’s 94th patient. Again, the Alcor standby team was on-site and began stabilization immediately upon pronouncement, arriving at Alcor with the patient only 32 minutes later.

Orville Richardson joined Alcor in 2004, directing that his remains be cryopreserved for purposes of cryonics research and potential revival in the future. He paid $20,000 for an Alcor Life Membership instead of paying annual membership dues. He also prepaid an additional $50,000 for his neuropreservation (preservation of the brain within the head) cryonics arrangement. This amount was held by Alcor in a segregated account until time of need, with earned interest regularly paid back to Mr. Richardson. Contrary to some media reports, Alcor is not aware of Mr. Richardson leaving any money to Alcor in a will.

Mr. Richardson died on Febrary 19, 2009, at the age of 81. He suffered from dementia the year before his death. He was survived by his brother and sister, his wife having died 22 years earlier. They had no children. On April 21, 2009, his brother wrote Alcor asking that the $50,000 prepaid by Orville Richardson for his cryonics arrangements be refunded to his estate because he “obviously did not utilize this service.” Alcor didn’t know that Mr. Richardson was seriously ill, and only learned of his death upon receipt of this letter. Alcor learned that Mr. Richardson had been embalmed and buried.

The Alcor Foundation seeks a Technical Coordinator and a Readiness Coordinator for its dedicated team in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Technical Coordinator is responsible for designing and operating the equipment necessary to perform human cryopreservations and for planning short-term and long-term technology strategies in conjunction with experts in the field. The Readiness Coordinator will play an essential role in maintaining logistical readiness for cryonics cases and assisting with the stabilization and transport of cryonics patients.