Chapter 2: Cryonics in practice

When the time comes, your cryopreservation won't happen through good intentions or verbal agreements. It will happen because you have the right legal and financial documents in place. Missing even one critical document can delay or prevent your preservation entirely. Here's what you need and why each matters.

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Contrat Biostasis

This is the foundational document. Your biostasis contract with Tomorrow.bio establishes the legal relationship between you and the organization. It specifies what services will be provided, under what conditions, and what your obligations are as a member.

Without this contract, there's no legal basis for Tomorrow.bio to perform your preservation. Medical facilities won't release your body. Standby teams can't proceed. The entire process stops before it starts. This isn't optional paperwork; it's the legal authorization that makes everything else possible.

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Accord de stockage à long terme

Déclaration juridique pour la cryoconservation après le décès, autorisant la Fondation pour les soins aux patients à assurer la conservation à long terme et à procéder aux adaptations nécessaires pour maintenir la conservation.

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Patient Advance Directive (PAD)

A patient advance directive is a legal document stating your medical wishes in situations where you can't communicate them yourself. For cryopreservation, it explicitly authorizes preservation procedures and clarifies that you want this even in circumstances where others might object.

Nous recommandons à tous nos membres de rédiger des directives anticipées du patient (DAP) à partir des modèles fournis. Dans certains cas, cela peut permettre à Tomorrow Biostasis d’être informé plus rapidement en cas de décès inattendu. Si vous êtes admis à l’hôpital dans un état d’incapacité (coma, etc.), les médecins demanderont généralement à consulter vos directives anticipées. Certains pays disposent de bases de données permettant aux médecins d’y accéder en ligne. Sinon, nous vous conseillons d’en remettre une copie à votre médecin et/ou de la conserver dans un endroit facilement accessible (par exemple un espace de stockage en ligne sécurisé) et d’informer vos proches afin qu’ils puissent la transmettre aux médecins si vous n’êtes pas en mesure de le faire.

Every country has different legal requirements for advance directives, so we recommend to check regulations for your country.

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Last will and testament

The will serves multiple purposes. It prevents family disputes about your wishes by making them legally clear. It authorizes access to estate funds if needed to cover preservation costs. It designates who has authority to make decisions about your remains and medical procedures. Most importantly, it preempts legal challenges from family members who might oppose your preservation.

Without explicit will provisions, family members can claim they don't know what you wanted or that cryopreservation isn't a legitimate disposition of remains.

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Alternative funding documentation

If you're funding cryopreservation through life insurance, that policy serves as your funding documentation. But if you're using alternative methods - trust funds, pre-payment, or other approaches - you need clear documentation of how preservation will be paid for.

This documentation needs to specify the funding source, the amount available, who has authority to access those funds, and the process for transferring payment to Tomorrow.bio.

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Why is this important?

Missing or inadequate documentation is one of the reasons cryopreservation arrangements fail. The member wanted preservation, arrangements were made, but when death occurred, legal obstacles prevented it from happening.

You can find templates and copies of all required documents at tomorrow.bio/documents. These templates are designed to meet legal requirements in various jurisdictions, though you should still consult with local legal counsel to ensure they're appropriate for your specific situation.

Ensure your family or closest ones know these documents exist and where to find them. Have conversations now, while you're alive, about your wishes and where documentation is stored. Don't assume they'll find everything when needed.

Don't procrastinate on documentation. It's easy to sign your initial contract and then delay on advance directives, wills, and funding arrangements. But incomplete documentation means incomplete protection.

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