In case of death
A Letter to family and friends.
Note: This post will describe an unlikely best-case scenario. I’ll avoid writing things like “if all goes according to plan” because it makes the text annoying to read. This does not mean that I think it’s likely to work. I’m estimating less than 5% chance of success.
When I die, the clock starts ticking. As soon as possible, I want my dead body to be handed over to a company called Tomorrow Biostasis. Legally, this counts as a medical body donation. As soon as my parents and siblings agree to the handover, tomorrow will step in and take over the care of the body.
Tomorrow will get to the body swiftly, and cool it down to keep it fresh and dandy. Keeping it chilled, they will transport the body to Switzerland. They will take it to the European Biostasis Foundation, where they will gradually replace its internal fluids with non-crystal-forming cryopreservation liquid.1
Then they will cool the body down to -196 degrees2 and put it in a vat.
Most tombstones are only kept for 70 years or so3. I’ll stay much longer in the vat, chilling for a few centuries until someone feels like thawing me up. It’ll be fine, waiting is much less of a hassle when frozen at -196 degrees4
What happens if I get a terminal disease?
I want my brain to be healthy when I die. So if it starts degenerating too much, I will travel to Switzerland and get assisted suicide. It’s conveniently close to the vats, allowing me to get frozen in a tip-top state.
Things that might trigger this plan include degenerative diseases such as dementia, old age, or other things that fucks up your brain over time.
Doesn’t this cost a lot?
The transport, cooling and long-term storage cost about 2 million SEK.
Fortunately, you can cover the expenses using life insurance. I’ve signed up for one through Länsförsäkringar, and they will pay out if I die.5 Very convenient.
P.S: This post is an overview. I might go into more detail about all the background reasoning I’ve done. But this is meant to be a declaration of intent, and I don’t want to scare away people that should read it.
Important step. Crystal formation is a good way to turn yourself into a frozen slushie.
The website doesn’t specify what kind of degrees. I’m pretty sure it isn’t kelvin.
They put out notes on old tombstones, asking people to get in touch if they want to keep them. People usually stop caring after a couple of decades.
On a serious note: if this works out I will have no sense of time passing between the freezing moment and the thawing moment. Transported to the future in an eye blink. Wow.
It will last until I’m 70. I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to cover the cost myself when it expires.