In 1967, an American man named James Bedford, who had cancer, was facing imminent death.
However, James Bedford spent a huge sum of money to "freeze" himself, with the hope of curing cancer.
James Bedford hoped that in the future, when medicine advanced, he would be thawed and cured of his terminal illness.
This news shocked the world at the time, and he became the first "frozen man" on Earth.
Now, more than 50 years have passed. Will this plan succeed? Has James Bedford achieved a "new life"?
James Bedford was born in 1893 into a wealthy family in Massachusetts, USA. James Bedford has lived a life without worrying about food or clothing since childhood.
As he grew up, James relied on his intelligence to successfully start his own business. With the help of his family, he became wealthy.
James not only had a successful career but also a happy family. He had two wives and a total of five children.
James' condition became increasingly worse. He was truly terrified when facing death.
However, with an indomitable will to live, James began seeking out doctors everywhere, trying to find the last hope for himself.
At this time, a friend brought him a book titled "The Prospect of Immortality."
The book detailed research on the method of freezing humans.
Cryonic technology could effectively halt the death of human cells and allow for resurrection from death in the future.James conceived a bold idea to maintain his life
From then on, James began paying attention to the development of cryonics technology.
James believed he had to seize this opportunity.
He felt that if he had frozen himself, when he woke up 50 years later, medicine might have advanced enough to cure his cancer, allowing him to start a new life.
James spent $4,200 to buy liquid nitrogen and a cryogenic chamber. Additionally, he left most of his fortune for the maintenance of his frozen body and related research.
In 1967, James left the world. When doctors announced that James had died, the "freezing plan" officially began. At the moment of death, James felt very calm, as if he were just entering a deep sleep, with the hope of waking up one day.
After doctors declared James dead, the cryonics team standing by began handling James' body according to the initial plan.
First, they bathed James in cold water, then cooled his body and drained all his blood. Finally, a large amount of dimethyl sulfoxide (a sterilizing liquid) was injected into his body, lowering his body temperature.
Finally, James' body was wrapped in a film, placed in liquid nitrogen at -196 degrees Celsius, and preserved indefinitely.
James' initial plan was to be revived in 2017, but this day has never come.
The cryonics team was unable to devise a safe and feasible thawing plan, and James' body was moved multiple times, making the thawing process even more difficult.
Experts believe that it is unlikely that James will see the world again. Moreover, even with current technology, we have not yet developed an effective method to treat cancer. As for how long James will sleep, no one has the answer.
