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gwern comments on Dying Outside - Less Wrong
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I am indeed signed up, having been an Alcor client for 20 years.
Ironically I chose full-body suspension as opposed to so-called neurosuspension (head only) on the theory that the spinal cord and peripheral nervous system might include information useful for reconstruction and recovery. Now it turns out that half of this data will be largely destroyed by the disease. Makes me wonder if I should convert to neuro.
Indeed even the popular (mis)conception of head-only revival wouldn't be that bad for me, not unlike the state I will have lived in for a while. In fact it would really be better in many ways if I could somehow lose my body once I become paralyzed, since it will be a potential source of pain signals and also a lot of work for caregivers to deal with. But I doubt that the technology is there yet.
I think you probably should. There's no real upside to preserving your body as you say, and there's a very real cost. (What's Alcor's differential? IIRC, it was many thousands of dollars.)
You could direct the excess money somewhere else, like your family (presumably ALS will have a big economic impact on them - treatment expenses, reduced earnings, etc. - even if you live out a natural lifespan). Or you could donate it straight to Alcor: I'm sure they have better things to do with say $20,000 than spend it on freezing some meat that doesn't need freezing.