X-Message-Number: 7265
Date:  Thu, 05 Dec 96 13:11:41 
From: Steve Bridge <>
Subject: Alcor's 33rd patient

To CryoNet
>From Steve Bridge, Alcor
December 5, 1996

     Recently Alcor accepted its 33rd cryonic suspension patient, an 
elderly woman from the Phoenix metropolitan area.  This was an unusual 
suspension for Alcor in that the woman was not an Alcor member and the 
woman's son only contacted us after discovering his mother had died in 
bed during the night.

     Alcor rarely accepts situations like this, and we only became 
involved in this one because:

1.  The patient was local, so we could have extensive contacts with 
the son and easy access to the patient.  
2.  We could confirm that appropriate funding was available.
3.  We could establish informed consent on the part of the son, who 
had been semi-involved in cryonics for over 25 years and was known to 
two of the staff.  Unfortunately, the son had procrastinated like many 
other almost-cryonicists and had never gotten around to signing up his 
mother or himself.
4.  We were able to walk through our legal documents in detail with 
the son.

     The son had waited several hours before contacting Alcor, then 
there were more delays in getting proper pronouncement of death so an 
autopsy could be avoided.  Further delays were created by the need to 
verify funding and the son's legal authority and informed consent.  
Eventually, the patient was straight frozen (neuro) without 
cryoprotective perfusion.

     The identity of the patient and son will remain confidential.  A 
somewhat more detailed discussion will appear in *Cryonics* Magazine.

     The bottom line, as always, is:  GET SIGNED UP NOW!  Don't put 
your family (or yourself, if you want to sign up family members) in a 
situation where only a lower quality preservation can be accomplished.  
Alcor could have helped this family a lot more if they had been 
suspension members, where we had legal authority to act on behalf of 
the patient.  Don't bet on Alcor doing even this much for you if 
you're not a member.  We plan on keeping these situations extremely 
rare.

     Alcor now has 20 neuropatients and 13 whole-body patients in 
liquid nitrogen storage.

Steve Bridge

Stephen Bridge, President ()

Alcor Life Extension Foundation
Non-profit cryonic suspension services since 1972.
7895 E. Acoma Dr., Suite 110, Scottsdale AZ 85260-6916
Phone (602) 922-9013  (800) 367-2228   FAX (602) 922-9027
 for general requests
http://www.alcor.org


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