Video: Thai parents hope 'frozen' child will live again

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Parents hope 'frozen' child will live again

Earlier this year, two-year-old Thai girl Matheryn Naovaratpong became the youngest person to be cryogenically frozen, her brain being preserved at the point of death. Her parents say they are "100% convinced" future medical advances mean she will one day be restored to life.

They told the BBC's Jonathan Head it was their love for their daughter that drove them to seek this route.

-- BBC 2015-10-15

[Basil B]

I do hope that one day their wishes come true, but I doubt it will never happen.

[NickJ]

I met the Dr that was in charge of the program at UC Berkley. He was also one of the youngest ever to get his MD at Harvard. I met him at a dinner party.

[MESmith]

I met the Dr that was in charge of the program at UC Berkley. He was also one of the youngest ever to get his MD at Harvard. I met him at a dinner party.

Did you choose a meal from the freezer?

[zaphod reborn]

I met the Dr that was in charge of the program at UC Berkley. He was also one of the youngest ever to get his MD at Harvard. I met him at a dinner party.

Did you choose a meal from the freezer?

Having attended Berkeley, that frozen meal would have been better than the dorm food. Hospitalized three times for food poisoning in the one year that I lived in the dormitories.

Edited October 15, 2015 by zaphod reborn

[halloween]

No doubt a large amount of money changed hands to facilitate this. Preying on parents grief is despicable.

[oxo1947]

I knew a beautiful girl that worked in a cryogenics lab in London. Tried it on with her a few times

But she always gave me the cold shoulder.................................

Edited October 15, 2015 by oxo1947

[Afook]

Money talks, the parents are both engineers, seem well to do, if no monies, could you really afford this? I believe, not too many in Thailand :-( No money, no talk :-(, just like no money, no honey's :-)

[slipperylobster]

I certainly hope that she can be revived one day. Cloning DNA and making an identical girl might be the way to go...(in the future). The hardest part is reproducing the learning patterns, that made her unique. However, being brought up by the same parents, in the same manner, might bring it real close.

Although I have met several people around here that should be banned from future cloning, most bars, and thaivisa.

[falang07]

The question is what would they revive—a piece of some dead brain tissue, and would it still contain the soul after the death? I really doubt it. As for me, just another money trap.

[h90]

I certainly hope that she can be revived one day. Cloning DNA and making an identical girl might be the way to go...(in the future). The hardest part is reproducing the learning patterns, that made her unique. However, being brought up by the same parents, in the same manner, might bring it real close.

Although I have met several people around here that should be banned from future cloning, most bars, and thaivisa.

you can't copy the brain content into another brain.

To clone here would be the same as having a new baby that is very similar.

[Basil B]

No doubt a large amount of money changed hands to facilitate this. Preying on parents grief is despicable.

I doubt the parents were door steeped by ambulance chasers...

I would have thought this something the parents wanted and can afford.

[JetsetBkk]

Would have been cheaper if they'd spent their money on grief counselling.

[halloween]

No doubt a large amount of money changed hands to facilitate this. Preying on parents grief is despicable.

I doubt the parents were door steeped by ambulance chasers...

I would have thought this something the parents wanted and can afford.

They were lured by false hope. That somewhere in the future (after many years of annual fees) there will be technology to defrost and cure this child. But who would pay for that, and why would they want to do it?

[Happy Grumpy]

Death is as natural as life itself.

Keeping a poor 2 yr old frozen at the point of death.... let her go....

[Rhys]

Grieving parents...all the best to them as they process.

[NCC1701A]

I knew a beautiful girl that worked in a cryogenics lab in London. Tried it on with her a few times

But she always gave me the cold shoulder.................................

were her headlights on?

[ChrisY1]

Money talks, the parents are both engineers, seem well to do, if no monies, could you really afford this? I believe, not too many in Thailand :-( No money, no talk :-(, just like no money, no honey's :-)

Of course it's expensive.....it costs tens of thousands...being engineers doesn't enter the tale.....obviously they're rich!

[asdecas]

To me it is a strange kind of love that seeks to upset the natural order. By all means try to prevent death, but once it has occurred it seems a finality to me and no longer in human hands, no matter how strong our 'love' or desire.

[phantomfiddler]

I met the Dr that was in charge of the program at UC Berkley. He was also one of the youngest ever to get his MD at Harvard. I met him at a dinner party.

Did you choose a meal from the freezer?

Having attended Berkeley, that frozen meal would have been better than the dorm food. Hospitalized three times for food poisoning in the one year that I lived in the dormitories.

I went to Berkeley also, street beggar on Telegraph Avenue back in the 70,s. Great place

[Lupatria]

I met the Dr that was in charge of the program at UC Berkley. He was also one of the youngest ever to get his MD at Harvard. I met him at a dinner party.

Among many others, I admire you for your exclusive lifestyle having dinner with highly sophisticated people. I know how proud you must be since I once met the mayor of my hometown. Would you mind to provide some selfies of this extraordinary event?

Edited October 16, 2015 by Lupatria

[GAZZPA]

I knew a beautiful girl that worked in a cryogenics lab in London. Tried it on with her a few times

But she always gave me the cold shoulder.................................

I heard all the cryogenics labs in London had their budgets frozen!

[GAZZPA]

Don't really get this, I understand the parents must be full of terrible grief as any parent will be when losing a child. But whatever your beliefs, whether you believe in God, or whether you are an atheist or even agnostic one thing everyone agrees on is human beings don't last forever. Some die young, some in accidents, some of disease but hopefully most at a decent old age, it is all part of life and nothing and nobody can ever change that.

I personally do not want to be frozen and revived, I don't want to live forever,,, can you imagine writing your 1 millionth post on Thai Visa, probably saying the same old things we have always said?

I hope these parents are grieving and not clinging onto something that they will probably never see, it is not healthy if they don't grieve and say goodbye.

Good luck to them and RIP little girl.

[TEFLKrabi]

No doubt a large amount of money changed hands to facilitate this. Preying on parents grief is despicable.

I doubt the parents were door steeped by ambulance chasers...

I would have thought this something the parents wanted and can afford.

They were lured by false hope. That somewhere in the future (after many years of annual fees) there will be technology to defrost and cure this child. But who would pay for that, and why would they want to do it?

Tell me any parent who wouldn't jump at an opportunity to revive a child they had lost. I assume many of the people commenting don't have children (and I'll be very happy if they don't).

[Shiver]

The thing I always think about when preserving just the head, is that the person has intelligence throughout the body, not just the brain. If you've ever glanced at the concept of "heart maths" then it would be abundantly clear. We've all heard of stories of people getting organ transplants, then suddenly having new skills such as playing the piano, even though they'd never been near one in their life.

Another thing I think about is my grandfather who reached 96 years old, but there was something lacking in his life, because everyone of his generation had passed on, and he couldn't really relate to others in the same way. His nearest friend "young Jack" was 75, but even he was a generation behind.

What would it be like to be an incomplete version of your original self 400-500 years into the future? When I'm gone I want to stay gone.

It must be horrific for the parents, but closure would imho have been much more healthy. This will cost them their own health.

Edited October 16, 2015 by Shiver

[MockingJay]

Poor little girl. I hope that her soul made it to heaven safe and sound before they started with this atrocity. The parents should have put their trust in god instead of stuffing their money and hopes in the pockets of some despicable white coats...

[halloween]

No doubt a large amount of money changed hands to facilitate this. Preying on parents grief is despicable.

I doubt the parents were door steeped by ambulance chasers...

I would have thought this something the parents wanted and can afford.

They were lured by false hope. That somewhere in the future (after many years of annual fees) there will be technology to defrost and cure this child. But who would pay for that, and why would they want to do it?

Tell me any parent who wouldn't jump at an opportunity to revive a child they had lost. I assume many of the people commenting don't have children (and I'll be very happy if they don't).

The parents have been sold a fool's dream, one which you seem happy to subscribe to.

[fvw53]

Suppose one can revive a person after 100 years : a person who has no more close family and no more friends alive ...and facing the possibility that the language spoken 100 years later is very different...

[cookee68]

It would be nice, but it will never happen, but if you have the money people will tell you what you want to hear at the right price, its a shame but true

[daoyai]

Wow this subject has brought out some "interesting" responces,.... even if in the future whatever disease killed the kid may be curable, pretty much zero chance of reanimating a long dead corpse and to my knowlege no real attempts or research is being done in that area anyway. The parents of this kid are delusional at best.