The People Waiting to Wake Up in the Future

In a world where science fiction often inspires reality, the concept of freezing human bodies for future revival has moved beyond the realm of movies like Vanilla Sky and Forever Young. Known as cryonics, this process has grown into a niche yet thriving industry—complete with its own pioneers, controversies, and devoted believers.

Today, over 250 people lie suspended in cryogenic chambers, patiently awaiting a future that may or may not come.

The First Frozen Human: James Bedford’s Historic Leap into the Unknown

The story begins on January 12, 1967, when James Bedford, a psychology professor at the University of California, became the first person in history to be cryogenically preserved. Diagnosed with an untreatable form of kidney cancer that had spread to his lungs, Bedford volunteered to undergo the experimental process immediately after death.

Just hours after passing away, his body was cooled, prepared, and placed into a cryo tube filled with liquid nitrogen at -196°C. Over the decades, Bedford has been moved between facilities, but today he rests in the Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Arizona—remarkably preserved after more than 50 years.

How Cryonics Works

The cryonics process begins shortly after death. Blood is drained from the body and replaced with a protective cryoprotectant solution—a chemical mix designed to prevent ice crystals from damaging cells. The body is then cooled to ultra-low temperatures using liquid nitrogen, halting all biological decay.

Some people choose whole-body preservation, while others opt for neuro-preservation freezing only the head. Proponents believe that, in the future, advanced robotics and neural data transfer might allow a preserved brain’s information to be integrated into an artificial body.

Hope, Skepticism, and Scientific Debate

While cryonics companies argue that death is not final until brain information is irreversibly lost, the scientific community remains divided.

Supporters point to progress in cryopreservation research. In 2015, scientist Robert McIntyre successfully froze and revived a rabbit brain with its structure intact a milestone that fueled optimism.

Skeptics, however, argue that reviving an entire human being is far beyond current technological capabilities. At best, they believe cryonics may prove useful for preserving organs for future transplantation rather than resurrecting people.

The Legal Battles Over Frozen Futures

Cryonics doesn’t just raise scientific questions it sparks family disputes and legal conflicts.

In 2016, a British court allowed a terminally ill 14-year-old girl to be cryopreserved despite her father’s objections. In the U.S., a Colorado woman named Mary Robbins won legal approval to be frozen in 2011 against her children’s wishes.

Often, the disputes involve money. Cryonics can be expensive, and funds are typically set aside for preservation and future revival, rather than passing directly to heirs.

The Price of Immortality

Cryonics is currently available only in the United States and Russia. Prices vary dramatically:

• United States – $200,000 for the whole body, $80,000 for the head only.
• Russia – $36,000 for the whole body, $18,000 for the head.

For some, the “head-only” option makes sense believing that even without their original body, the brain’s stored memories could one day live on inside a robotic shell.

Science Fiction or Future Headline?

Right now, reviving frozen humans remains impossible. But so did flying, space travel, and organ transplants until they weren’t.

Perhaps, decades or centuries from now, we will read a headline that says:
“First Cryonically Frozen Human Awakens After 200 Years.”

Until then, James Bedford and hundreds of others continue their silent wait in the frozen darkness betting that the future will bring them back to life.