The world's first billionaire "freezes his body" waiting to be revived, how will it be in 2024?

Kim LâmSep 02, 2024 at 11:03

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James Bedford, a professor in California, USA, before his death hoped that future medical technology could revive him. Therefore, he spent a lot of money to freeze himself and is expected to come back to life in 50 years, in 2017.

James Bedford was one of America's richest men of the 1960s. He is a well-known psychologist at the University of California who is respected by many students. However, at the age of 72, he was suddenly diagnosed by a doctor with kidney cancer that had spread to the lungs. This information shocked him and his family members, because the man was already very healthy and showed no signs of illness.

The worlds first billionaire freezes his body waiting to be revived, how will it be in 2024? - Photo 1

James Bedford was in pain and regretted that he still had too many plans, so he began to run for treatment everywhere. However, medicine at that time could not cure this disease. Meanwhile, James' condition is getting worse. Facing death right in front of him made the richest man in America at that time feel afraid.

In desperation, he accidentally read the idea in the book The Prospect of Immortality by Dr. Robert Ettinger - who is considered the father of the body freezing experiment and the founder of the Cryonics Institute - a unit specializing in providing body freezing services after death. The content of this book has given him hope for life.

The worlds first billionaire freezes his body waiting to be revived, how will it be in 2024? - Photo 2

In that book, the author detailed a method of freezing the body that can prevent cell death and allow future revival. At that moment, James knew he had to seize this opportunity. He spoke directly with Robert Nelson, one of the three scientists directly involved in freezing him later. After that conversation, James believed that if the body was frozen, when he woke up 50 years later, when medicine had advanced, the cancer could be successfully cured. At that time, he can start a new life.

To be able to do this, James spent $4,200 to buy liquid nitrogen and a cryogenic chamber. At the same time, he also left most of his fortune to pay for the preservation process for 50 years to be revived in 2017. In 1967, James breathed his last. As soon as the doctor announced that James had died, the 'freezing plan' officially began. However, things are not as smooth as imagined.

In 1967, refrigeration technology was still in its infancy and many key issues remained unresolved. After Bedford's death, his body was not disposed of in time but was soaked directly in dry ice at a temperature of about -79 degrees Celsius. Bedford's iodine was then transferred to a liquid nitrogen tank at -196 degrees Celsius and began a decades-long freezing journey.

The worlds first billionaire freezes his body waiting to be revived, how will it be in 2024? - Photo 3

For the next two years, James' body was stored at a facility in Phoenix, Arizona, and then moved to a new facility in California. However, due to the huge cost of preservation, the money he left behind also quickly ran out. Eight years later, James' son moved his father's body home and periodically changed the liquid nitrogen himself.

In 1982, Mike Darwin, a representative of the Alcor Life Extension Foundation, a U.S.-based body freezing company, convinced his family to bring James to his facility. Darwin pledged to keep him in a safe environment at a lower cost. After a little hesitation, his son and daughter-in-law agreed.

The worlds first billionaire freezes his body waiting to be revived, how will it be in 2024? - Photo 4

According to a report by Alcor, during a single examination on May 25, 1991, the skin on James' neck and upper body was discolored, his nose was drooping and two holes appeared in his body. His nose and mouth were bloodstained, his eyes were open, and his cornea was white of ice. James' original plan was to revive in 2017 but this date did not happen.

Although Bedford's freezing process was not perfect, his courageous efforts attracted widespread attention and discussion around the globe about freezing technology. This is the first time that humanity has attempted to use technological means to challenge the power of death.

The worlds first billionaire freezes his body waiting to be revived, how will it be in 2024? - Photo 5

Bedford's story is like a pebble thrown into a lake of dead water, causing ripples. More and more people are starting to think about the nature of death and wonder if freezing technology can bring about a "second life." "If death is no longer the end, can life go on?" This ancient question seems to have a new dimension of thinking.

As Bedford's story spread, more and more people opted for cryopreservation after death. They come from different countries and cultures, but they share a common hope: Perhaps one day, technology can defeat death and give them a new life in the future.

The worlds first billionaire freezes his body waiting to be revived, how will it be in 2024? - Photo 6

In this way, frozen human technology began to quietly appear around the world. Although the technology is still in its infancy and faces many technical and ethical challenges, it demonstrates humanity's courage to explore the unknown and challenge limitations.

More than half a century later, James Bedford's body is still sleeping peacefully in a tank of liquid nitrogen. Whether he can be resurrected is unknown. But his valiant efforts have written a new chapter for humanity in triumphing over death. This "first person to freeze" has gone down in history forever.

The worlds first billionaire freezes his body waiting to be revived, how will it be in 2024? - Photo 7

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