Alcor Press Release
Mathew Sullivan
August 13th, 2003
For immediate release
Following the furor over the Sports Illustrated Article, Alcor Vows to
Prosecute Ex-Employee Larry Johnson
Carlos Mondragón, a director and former president of Alcor Life
Extension Foundation, has adamantly refuted allegations by ex-employee
Larry Johnson in the current issue of Sports Illustrated magazine. "We
believe that Johnson felt he was underpaid, resented the tasks he was
asked to perform, and is a typical ex-employee trying to exercise a
grudge and make a name for himself," Mondragón commented today.
"Johnson is a nationally certified paramedic, but he deliberately
violated our members' confidentiality. He taped conversations without
anyone's consent or knowledge, he has removed company property, he has
violated our standard nondisclosure agreement, and we have reported
him to the police. We are formulating further action in consultation
with our attorneys."
Jerry Lemler, MD, Alcor's president and CEO, is undergoing
chemotherapy and is not available for comment. Carlos Mondragón is
acting as Alcor's spokesperson in Dr. Lemler's absence.
Alcor's privacy policy prevents it from commenting on individual
cases. Every employee of Alcor is subject to a confidentiality and
nondisclosure policy that coincides with our confidential obligations
to our patients. Mr. Johnson signed a confidentiality agreement and
he, and the individuals and entities that knowingly breached these
confidential obligations, will be persued with all legal remedies
available to Alcor and its patients.
No Alcor Cryopatient has been treated negligently in the style that
Johnson suggested to Sports Illustrated. "If Johnson made these
statements, we believe they are knowingly false and, consequently, may
be grounds for criminal prosecution and several civil actions,"
Mondragón stated.
Cryonics was first proposed in the 1960s as a procedure to preserve
the human brain and possibly also the human body in the hope that
future science will enable resuscitation. During the past decade,
Alcor Life Extension Foundation
has led the field by introducing a new technique known as
vitrification. When optimally applied, vitrification can eliminate the
ice damage which used to decimate brain cells in cryopatients who were
treated with earlier technology.
Vitrification does involve a tradeoff which is thoroughly understood
and has been communicated to all Alcor members. Instead of massive
damage to millions of cells, a cryopatient is likely to experience
some simple fracturing caused by thermal stress during cooling. Since
the fracturing is a minor form of injury compared with ice damage, and
since many people believe that future
science such as nanotechnology should be capable of repairing simple
fractures, Alcor believes it has made radical progress toward its
ultimate goal of zero-damage preservation. To suggest that Alcor has
been negligent in
allowing fractures to occur is erroneous and defamatory. The fractures
are a small price to pay for reduced cell injury.
Anyone who seeks cryopreservation at Alcor must sign legal documents
clearly stating that cryonics is an experimental procedure which has
an unknown outcome. Alcor members are willing to accept the risks,
since there is no other viable option to preserve the human brain for
decades or even centuries.
"All we are doing at Alcor is honoring the wishes of our members and
their families," according to Carlos Mondragón. "A person may choose
to be buried, cremated, or cryopreserved after legal death.
Cryopreservation provides a chance of future resuscitation, while
cremation and burial offer no chance at all. Cryonics is usually
chosen by people who have a strong love of life."
Regarding the allegation that Alcor created holes in a patient's
skull, Mondragón states that the organization uses a perforator--a
standard medical tool--to create a small opening through which the
brain can be observed during cryoprotective perfusion. "Our whole
purpose is to minimize injury," according to Mondragón. "If we cannot
observe the brain during perfusion, we run the risk of creating
capillary damage that can interfere with our protective procedures. A
small perforation is trivial by comparison. It could be repaired even
using today's medical technology."
Mondragón believes that Larry Johnson is well aware of these facts. He
helped to teach Alcor's field procedures at a training session earlier
this year, and was preparing training materials for another session in
the Fall.
"Johnson signed up for cryopreservation himself, fully aware of the
protocol that we use," according to Mondragón. "This is no secret. He
talked about it openly in a segment for Los Angeles CBS TV news,
earlier this year. You have
to wonder why he suddenly decided to denounce the procedures that he
said would enable him to see the future."
Larry Johnson was hired by Alcor in January, 2003, but claimed that he
had been interested in cryonics for many years.
"I know that Johnson had some personal differences with our CEO,"
Mondragón comments. "But we pledged to resolve any issues. Apparently
the pledge wasn't good enough for him, and he appears to have spent
several weeks trying to find
ways to embarrass us. Since his allegations are inaccurate and we find
no instance where he has accused Alcor of any illegalities, we regard
his attack as a spiteful parting shot by an employee who may have
personal problems and
definitely had an exaggerated opinion of his own worth."
Carlos Mondragón can be reached for further comment at:
480-905-1906x115
Mathew Sullivan (mat...@alcor.org)
Director of Suspension Readiness
Alcor Life Extension Foundation
7895 E. Acoma Dr., Suite 110, Scottsdale AZ 85260-6916
Membership Information: (877) GO-ALCOR (462-5267)
Phone (480) 905-1906 FAX (480) 922-9027
in...@alcor.org for general requests
The Alcor Life Extension Foundation was founded in 1972 as a
non-profit,
tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, and has 58 patients in cryostasis.
Alcor
is the world's largest provider of professional cryotransport services
with
over 640 members who have pre-arranged for cryotransport. Alcor's
Emergency
CryoTransport System (ECS) is a medical-style rescue network patterned
after Emergency Medical System (EMS). Alcor CryoTransport Technicians,
as with EMTs and Paramedics on an ambulance, are advised by our
Medical Director, Jerry Lemler MD or other physicians who are Alcor
members and/or contract physicians.
If you start everything...
you will finish nothing.
Russell Hanneken
news:e0773ceb.03081...@posting.google.com...
>
> Alcor's privacy policy prevents it from commenting on individual
> cases.
Would it be possible for Ted Williams' estate to sign some sort of privacy
waiver so that Alcor could speak freely about his case? I've been thinking
of signing up with Alcor, but I'm not sure I want to trust them with my
remains without knowing the full story.
--
Russell Hanneken
rhan...@pobox.com
IMakeFights
>waiver so that Alcor could speak freely about his case? I've been thinking
>of signing up with Alcor, but I'm not sure I want to trust them with my
>remains without knowing the full story.
>
>--
>Russell Hanneken
>rhan...@pobox.com
>
>
I am more bothered by the fact they would hire someone like Johnson in the
first place. For someone like this clown to infiltrate Alcor and do the damage
he has done to cryonics shows a lack of good judgement on the part of Alcor. I
am headed to the Cryonics Society of Michigan when I die. I had leaned strongly
toward Alcor. Johnson is a scumbag who I hope Alcor sues for everything he is
worth.
Mathew Sullivan
nor deny Ted Williams is a patient at Alcor. As a member of Alcor,
you have the option for full, partial, or no disclosure.
There are 4 options, as stated below:
1) Alcor is authorized to place the Member's name, address, and phone
number in the Alcor Directory, and/or release them to media prior to
the Member's suspension.
2) Alcor is authorized to release the Member's name and number only to
other Alcor Suspension Members prior to the Member's suspension.
3) Alcor is authorized to release the Member's name and appropriate
biographical details, including information Alcor deems appropriate
about the Member's cryonic suspension, but only after the Member's
suspension has been completed.
4) Alcor is to maintain confidentiality under all circumstances.
In response to the third post: Alcor has roughly a dozen fulltime
employees, and I believe CI only has two part-time employees. No
company or organization can fully protect themselves from individuals
who have hidden agendas or malicious intentions.
Sincerely,
Mathew Sullivan
Brad Templeton
Cryonics as an industry is tiny. There aren't people lining up for
jobs, the pay is low, there is ridicule and you have to deal with
pretty icky stuff. I know some people involved. I'm afraid you can't
be too surprised that somebody with bad motives could get inside if he
wanted to. Companies like these are pretty poor and don't have the
resources to detect a real scammer. They try to be judges of character.
Sometimes they fail. I don't have anything that would say Alcor is any
worse off than the others, other than it's a target for being the most
famous.
--
Tour Utah and Colorado with my photojournals
http://www.templetons.com/brad/photo/utahco