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A-1497, Ronald Selkovitch, Patient 141

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CASE SUMMARY

Ronald Selkovitch, A-1497, became an Alcor member back in 1995. During that time, he saw not only his mother be cryopreserved, but also his wife just three months prior. Now aged 81, Mr Selkovitch was suffering from an infection that occurred following an abdominal surgery and eventually became critically ill at a hospital in Escondido, CA. Since Alcor was returning from Philadelphia with their preceding patient, Suspended Animation (SA) was requested to start a standby. Less than 48 hours following deployment, Mr Selkovitch was pronounced at 05:02 on August 28, 2015, allowing the team to protect the patient’s cells during ischemia and cooling. Following this stabilization, a field washout was undertaken, and Mr Selkovitch was cooled while driven from California to Scottsdale by the SA team, where they handed over responsibility to Alcor.

He was stabilized and transported to Alcor Life Extension Foundation (Alcor) by ground transport, arriving at 15:25. Surgery, cephalon isolation, cooling and vitrification were performed by Alcor’s team, with cryoprotective perfusion completed at 21:21, followed immediately by cool down to liquid nitrogen temperature: -196˚C/-320 ˚F.

Neuro cryoprotective surgery continued at Alcor before profound cooling commenced. Mr Selkovitch (A-1497) became Alcor’s 141st patient on August 28th, 2015. On September 7, 2015 a CT scan was performed of Mr Selkovitch’s cephalon to assess his post-vitrification status and condition. The results will be linked to the report on the Alcor website when that is published in the near future.

Mr Selkovitch is a counter-example to the common fear that (assuming the process works for you), that you will be alone in the future. We can hold out reasonable hope that he will eventually be restored to active life at the same time as his wife and mother.

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A-1624, James Baglivo, Patient 140

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James Baglivo, winner of the Omni cryonics essay contest, becomes Alcor’s 140th patient.

James Baglivo, A-1624, was pronounced legally dead by today’s standards on August 25, 2015 at the age of 44, in New Jersey, USA. Baglivo, a neurocryopreservation member, became Alcor’s 140th patient.

Back in the early 1990s, Charles Platt birthed an idea and saw it through to completion: An “Immortality Prize” hosted by Omni Magazine, the winner of which would receive a cryopreservation free of charge. Some of us quite fondly remember Omni as a science and science fiction magazine published in print form from 1978 to 1995, founded by Kathy Keeton and her collaborator and future husband Bob Guccione, the publisher of Penthouse magazine. Even when it was shut down by Guccione in early 1996 following the death of Keeton, the magazine’s reported print run was still over 700,000 copies per month. Offering a free cryopreservation as the prize for winning an essay contest apparently generated an unprecedented degree of exposure for cryonics and for Alcor.

James Baglivo was the winner of the Omni Magazine Immortality Prize. It took Mr Baglivo some time to complete his arrangements, his membership being finalized on January 18, 1996. His winning of the Prize turned out to be very fortunate for him. Mr Baglivo was involved in a major auto accident leading to hospitalization in 1991 and he carried the burden of a family history of diabetes and heart disease. At the time of the contest, he was only 22 years old. His essay won him a $120,00 life insurance policy that Alcor purchased on his behalf to pay the costs of cryopreservation when the time came. He also remained a member even though he had never responded to any notices or requests or communications of any kind in ten years. That lack of communication made responding effectively and speedily considerably more difficult.

On August 25, 2015, Alcor received an emergency notification from a nurse with an organ procurement company in New Jersey when she noticed that her deceased patient was wearing an Alcor medical alert bracelet. She told us he had died from sudden cardiac arrest about three hours prior earlier. We later learned that he had suffered three cardiac arrests: The first around 5:00 pm (Arizona time), the second around 10:00 pm in a New Jersey hospital where he was placed on a ventilator, and the third at 2:55 am immediately after removal from ventilator, at which point he was pronounced. Alcor was notified at 5:03 am through our emergency alert service.

Mr Baglivo’s mother also called and said that, because of her son’s young age of 44, the Medical Examiner was planning on performing an autopsy the next morning. Alcor immediately reached out to the ME’s office and strongly urged them to not abrogate this individual’s civil rights and instead consider waiving their authority to perform a destructive autopsy, in light of his written health directives with respect to disposition of his own remains.

After reviewing the documents and medical history that Alcor sent, coupled with the diagnostic imaging and blood draws that were obtained at the hospital, the ME’s office decided to forego the procedure and release the patient to Alcor. A local mortuary was found that would remove the patient from the morgue’s cooler, pack it in ice and allow us to use their prep room when we arrived later that same night.

Although initial success had been achieved in stopping the invasive autopsy, time was the driving factor in the decision-making process. There was insufficient time to retrieve the physical entirety of Baglivo and bring him to Alcor for a whole body cryoprotection. As it was, our options were limited to a straight freeze (with attendant massive damage from ice crystals) or a field neuro cryoprotection and transport on dry ice. I (Max More) decided to authorize a field cryoprotection. This enables us to cryoprotect the brain with minimal delay even when an operating room is not available.

The move from whole-body with no cryoprotection (and a long delay) to neurocryopreservation with field cryoprotection (and a much faster timeline) also enabled us to pay for an air ambulance. This was arranged by Aaron Drake, Alcor’s Medical Response Director, who was accompanied by Steve Graber, Alcor’s Technical and Readiness Coordinator, on the trip to Philadelphia with the surgical and perfusion supplies. Through the night, Drake performed the surgery and cannulation while Graber ran the portable pump-powered perfusion equipment and reached target concentration through a 15 step cryoprotection ramp. The team then used dry ice to provide rapid cooling in Alcor’s specially designed Neuro Shipper container.

The cooling continued during transportation the team returned with the same flight crew who were returning to Phoenix. More aggressive cooling commenced upon arrival at Alcor. A-1624 became Alcor’s 140th patient on August 25th, 2015.

A full case report will follow.

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Northern California Alcor Meeting

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WHAT: Northern California Alcor Meeting

WHERE: The Clubhouse at 505 Cypress Point Dr., Mountain View

WHEN: January 17th at 4:00 p.m.

I should also point out to people who have not been here, that “505 Cypress Point Dr” refers to the main clubhouse of the condominium complex located at the last address. Meaning, if you see something like “505 Cypress Point Dr, 123-456” that is not it. You should look for the sign that says “505 Cypress Point Dr” ONLY , and that sign is at Cypress Point Dr, but not exactly at the location that the navigation systems point to (they tend to point to the central point of the complex). At that sign, is the clubhouse.

We have potluck food, so bring some. We also have a sauna, whirlpool, billiards and ping-pong if you feel so inclined.

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Southern California Cryofeast

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It’s time for the annual Cryofeast holiday party hosted by Kat Cotter and Dave Kekich, however this year they’re actually holding it a century from now in another part of the galaxy. But don’t worry, they have a way to get your there. For those who don’t know, Dave has been building a rudimentary time machine- it can’t take them everywhere (yet) but they’ve found they can use it as a portal to transport us to about 100 years ahead. So they’re setting it for December 5, 2115 and the destination is the Star Wars Cantina (which you may remember from one of the Star Wars movies). So when you arrive at the clubhouse an android will escort you through the portal and they’ll be waiting for you there!

And since they’re heading into the future, they thought it would be fun to dress the part so this year’s annual holiday party will be a futuristic costume ball!

Costumes aren’t required, but if you wear a costume it can be anything from funky to futuristic. Think the Singularity, Star Wars, Star Trek, X-Men, Transformers, AI, robotics, cryonics, the Matrix, Terminator, the Jetsons, Alien, Interstellar, Back to the Future, Close Encounters, Avatar, etc.

This will be a potluck so please bring along some (healthy) party food and something you like to drink. They hope you can make it- the future won’t be as much fun without you!

Please email Kat at with your RSVP.

DATE: Saturday, December 5, 2015
TIME: 6:00-10:00 PM
WHERE: The Clubhouse at 5100 Colony Plaza
Newport Beach, CA 92660

Remember, costumes are optional but please bring a dish and something you’d like to drink.

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Northern California Alcor Meeting

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When: October 18th at 4:00 pm
Where: 505 Cypress Point Drive, Mountain View, CA

Please bring food to share

There is a sauna and jacuzzi available

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First cryonaut, is now the longest-surviving human being ever

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Jeanne Calment is listed as the longest-living (verified) human being in history. She was born on February 21, 1875 and died on 4 August 1997, at the age of 122 years, 164 days (or 44,724 days). Now that record has been surpassed – if cryopreservation works as a means of extending his life. Dr. James Bedford, who is maintained along with other cryopreserved patients at the Alcor Life Extension Foundation, was born April 20, 1893. On October 3, 2015, his age in days equaled 44,725 – and we are still counting, of course!

It is true that Bedford is not currently, legally alive. But neither is he known to be dead. When Alcor transferred him from an old, customized vessel back in 1991, it was clear that the original ice cubes were intact. We have no good information on the quality of his ultrastructural preservation. But we can say that he has remained cryopreserved since the day of his cardiac arrest in 1967, and so deserves the title of LONGEST-SURVIVING HUMAN BEING IN HISTORY!

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Du Hong, A-2833, becomes Alcor’s 138th patient on May 30, 2015

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Du Hong, Alcor member A-2833, was pronounced clinically dead on May 30, 2015 at the age of 61. Du Hong, a neurocryopreservation member, was Alcor’s first patient from China, and 138th patient overall.

Du Hong was born in Chongqing, China and became well-known as a writer of books for children and as an editor of science fiction. One of the books she edited was a science fiction trilogy, The Three-Body Problem, which was themed around cryonics. While undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer she discovered cryonics and realized that it was a real-world option. Her family contacted Alcor from Beijing, where she was located, and helped her to investigate the possibility of cryopreserving her brain. Initial contact was much later than Alcor prefers, but there was sufficient time for all contractual and financial arrangements to be put in place.

On the evening of May 19, Aaron Drake, Alcor’s Medical Response Director, and surgeon Dr. Jose Kanshepolsky flew to San Francisco to apply for emergency medical visas to travel to China. They stayed at a hotel half a mile from the Chinese consulate so as to be first in line the next morning. After approval in less than 24 hours, they traveled straight from San Francisco to Beijing with a kit that would enable them to medicate and cryoprotect the patient. A fair amount of time was spent discussing the contents of the surgical/perfusion kit with Chinese Customs officials, but eventually they were allowed through with all of our supplies and perfusate.

The standby lasted nine days. Although longer than anticipated based on available medical information, it was fortunate in that it gave them time to negotiate with the Chinese government to gain permission to obtain immediate pronouncement of the patient, the ability to administer medications bedside, immediate hospital release to a paid transport team that was on standby, the ability to use the government mortuary’s prep room to perform the surgery and perfusion while two government officials observed the entire procedure, and then immediate cooldown with dry ice. Considerable help was provided by several individuals who had expressed interested in advancing cryonics in China.

On Saturday May 30th, 2015 at 5:50 PM (2:50 AM in Arizona), the patient was pronounced with Jose and Aaron at the hospital bedside. All of the plans fell into place and a field-neuro cryoprotection commenced shortly thereafter. Medications were administered and circulated, and the perfusion system worked well, priming quickly and holding pressure at 90-100 mmHg without adjustment over the course of the perfusion. Target concentration of cryoprotectant was achieved after close to three hours of perfusion and maintained for another 30 minutes before the procedure was completed. The international mortuary shipping consultant that we used anticipated no delays in getting the patient shipped to the US. However, there were delays in the approval process. Dry ice was added every two days while the paperwork was sorted out.

It had been decided that transport out of the country would be most likely accepted by the authorities with the patient as a whole body. Once approval was finally granted, Du Hong’s shipper was loaded with 200 kg of dry ice and flown to Los Angeles. At a nearby mortuary in the area with whom Alcor has worked many times before, the neuroseparation was carried out. Our patient arrived at Alcor on June 25 and cool down to liquid nitrogen temperature commenced immediately.

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A-2813 becomes Alcor’s 137th patient on May 25, 2015

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Private member A-2813 was pronounced clinically dead on May 25, 2015 in Florida. A-2813, a whole body member, arrived at Alcor at 12:37am on May 26, becoming Alcor’s 137th patient.

This individual was in the ICU of a Florida hospital with acute respiratory problems that persisted for an extended period of time. His daughter initiated the process to have her father cryopreserved and completed the paperwork and provided funding to Alcor. Suspended Animation (SA) was put on alert early on when local physicians were concerned that the patient may not survive. His health improved for a while and then progressively became worse again. Suspended Animation was deployed for three days when the patient met our critical criteria but eventually the standby was discontinued following another rebound in health, but the patient’s status was monitored and reports send twice daily. Eight days later, on May 24, the patient’s health deteriorated suddenly and SA deployed again. At 6:47am EST on May 25, the SA team leader received a call from hospital staff that the patient had arrested and Code Blue resuscitation efforts had begun. SA Team members waiting outside the hospital gathered medications and equipment from the vehicle and moved to the CCU floor. After two full Code Blue protocols, patient was pronounced at 7:32 am EST and stabilization procedures began.

Following a washout at a local mortuary, the patient was flown to Phoenix, arriving at Alcor a little over 20 hours after pronouncement. Several complication arose during this case and will be discussed in the full case report (which is currently undergoing review). According to the patient’s daughter, “He was a highly decorated B-24 pilot in World War II and Korean War veteran so it was fitting that he should pass on Memorial day.”

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Maricopa County discount on CMS

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Maricopa county, Arizona permanent residents will receive $60 off their CMS fees per year starting in October 1, 2015.

Comment: Alcor offers terminal members who relocate to Scottsdale up to $10,000 in assistance. Being located near Alcor when cryopreservation is needed not only improves response time but also reduces costs. It seemed to some a little unfair that members already living near Alcor could not benefit from this policy. We are recognizing this by reducing CMS (Comprehensive Member Standby) fees.

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Members Dues Reduction

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For the third consecutive year, Alcor is reducing membership dues. Starting October 1, 2015:

There will be a reduction in dues by approximately 1% (the exact amount in dollars to be determined) for all except family members and minor children. Minor children will receive approximately a 50% cut in dues, and dues will be charged for a maximum of two minor children in a family.

Comment: This is a smaller reduction than in 2014 and 2013 but reinforces the trend of declining membership dues. We hope to continue this trend so long as membership growth continues. The 50% cut for minor children should provide substantial relief for members who sign up multiple family members.