Terminally ill woman seeks help to get cryogenically frozen

Kim Suozzi and her boyfriend are shown here in a YouTube video created to generate support for the young woman's bid to be cryogenically frozen. (suonodellanoche/Youtube )When 23-year-old Kim Suozzi learned that she was dying from brain cancer, she turned to the online message boards of Reddit.com for advice on what to do in her final months.

Of the more than 4,000 suggestions that rolled in, one stood out above the others: Don't die at all; instead be cryogenically preserved.

As this YouTube video and follow-up Reddit post show, Suozzi has decided to pursue the idea - with a little bit of help from her internet friends.

"I'm back on Reddit again, mostly to ask for help because I want to be cryogenically preserved upon my death," she wrote on Reddit on Aug. 17. "I know this is a big thing to ask for, and I'm sure many people are doubtful that preservation is plausible with cryonics. I'm far from convinced, but I would rather take the chance with preservation than rot in the ground or get cremated."



Suozzi explained that the procedure offered by Michigan's Cryonics Institute costs between $30,000-35,000, with transportation to the facility included - a fee that neither she, nor her family can afford.

"A lot of people on Reddit wanted to start a fundraiser for me awhile ago to aid in doing fun things before I die," she wrote. "I am hoping that Redditors will still have some interest in helping me even if it's not going towards vacation or skydiving ... Cryopreservation is sincerely what will bring me the most peace in death."

Kim Suozzi before she was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. (Society for Venturism)These posts and video have ignited firestorm of debate around the web.

Some commenters say that Suozzi, who has a highly aggressive form of brain cancer with recurring tumors called glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), should seek better treatment to recover from her (incurable) illness.

Others say she should just accept her condition and the outcome. Many more have come to her defence.

As difficult as the fallout of her new Reddit fame has been (Suozzi says her Christian parents were very resistant to the idea), the controversy helped her catch the attention of a group called Society for Venturism, which set up a fund on her behalf.

"Kim is hoping the cryonics community and others will enthusiastically support the Venturist Charity Fund, as it has successfully helped two other people get cryonics arrangements in the past," reads the donation page. "It is set up to help those who are unable to get life insurance, the normal source of funds for cryonics, and have had a desire to be cryonically preserved."

As of this Aug. 31 blog post, $27,000 had already been raised.

What's your take on this young woman's efforts to be cryogenically preserved? Would you do it under the same circumstances? Why or why not? Let us know your thoughts below.