Inside eerie ‘ambulance to the future’ where people remain frozen in hope of achieving life after death
You only get one shot at life, so use it wisely.
At least that's the case for most of us. But for a few, there's a chance at a second go - somewhere in the future.
By that, I mean there's a growing number of people at the world’s biggest cryo-preservation facilities taking a big gamble by getting frozen after they die, hoping that one day, technology will advance enough to bring them back.
Some of these 'patients' have been frozen there for nearly 50 years.
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At the Cryonics Institute (CI) in Michigan, white vials line the storage facility, holding bodies, body parts and even pets.
They’re all kept at a frosty -196°C of liquid nitrogen waiting for a future where they might be revived.
These people came from all different walks of life, from chefs to students, and secretaries and professors.
Interestingly, it's mostly the Brits who have taken the courageous jump to body preservation, making them the biggest group outside of the U.S.
As cool as it may sound, it's more of a waiting game than sci-fi fiction.
The longest-running patient is Rhea Ettinger who has been in her icy sleep since 1977.
Her son, Robert C. W. Ettinger - known as the "father of cryonics" and a WWII vet - joined her, along with both of his wives, all preserved at the facility.
CI president Dennis Kowalksi said: "Ironically, while the number of members is growing, I’m only surprised that we’re not more popular.
"What we are doing is pretty rational when you think about it. Cryonics is like an ambulance ride to a future hospital that may or may not exist some day.
He continued: "While we give no guarantees, if you are buried or cremated your chances of coming back are zero.
"We are therefore a Pascal’s wager, or a gamble with little to lose and all to gain."
Inside CI’s massive 7,000-square-foot facility, about 250 patients are stored in cryostats, standing in organised rows.
Newcomers who have paid for full-body preservation would have paid nothing short of $28,000 (£22,000). So far, 10 to 20 new spots have been filled.
"While we are the largest cryonics company in the world with the most patients in suspension, our two centres in Michigan are not as sci-fi as you might imagine," Kowalski added.
"It’s more practical. We are affordable to the average person through life insurance and we are non-profit, with all of our records open to public scrutiny."
The CI president described feeling a 'sense of responsibility and awe' when he walks through the cryostats.
He concluded: "We don’t know if this will work but we believe life is precious and that there is no greater value than the love of our family and friends who we wish to save."