From: John Grigg (starman2100@lycos.com)
Date: Wed Aug 29 2001 - 22:31:19 MDT
Hello everyone,
I just wanted to share with the extrolist membership the words of heartfelt gratitude James Swayze has written for the efforts being made on his behalf. This is a person who both needs and deserves our help! I hope everyone can give what they can. These two posts were originally on Cryonet.
sincerely,
John
James Swayze wrote:
All,
Even though I was made aware this was going to happen I am still at a loss for words to express my gratitude. I have thanked Robert Ettinger personally and now thank David Pascal and all those at CI working to make this happen. It still feels pale in comparison to what I feel inside. Looking for words to share with my cryonet friends to express my gratitude to all, I went through cryonet messages I have saved since my first post. Some of you may remember it. I was griping about what I saw as too coldly academic a discussion of the reality of someone possibly choosing euthanasia to end profound suffering of severe pain and loss of quality of life. I must admit I was influenced heavily by my own situation and so it got filtered through my unique paradigm. I expected to get flamed and shooed away from cryonet but instead I was humbled by an outpouring of care for me and my situation.
Tonight reading again what I had wrote and the overwhelming, for me, responses of those that lined up to pledge to help me I got a little emotional. I have a hard time accepting things done for me if I am unable to return in kind. I've always kept a sort of balance sheet. Someone does me a good turn I want to do the same for them. I don't feel this way so not to owe anyone. I don't care about that and it is not rational because one could not possibly pay such debts in life. No, my thing is an acute sense of fairness. It's the same for me as when I get blamed for something I did not do or I see that happen to anyone else. It's credit where credit is due. Perhaps I'm getting far abeam. I mean to say I can't stand putting anyone out. So I always try to do something, anything, in return.
I wish I were in a position to help someone else in need like myself and for that matter if I really had my way I would be a major contributor to cryonics period. I still hope to do that through my inventions or my art but let's face it that is a difficult dream to make come true. All I can do is keep trying and promise to continue to keep trying and also do my part to promote cryonics and CI. I hope I can be of some value for PR and would welcome any suggestions. With that said I will close for now by saying thank you all again. I am humbled once more and so very very grateful after all, this, should it occur as hoped, *is* the saving of my immortal life. Lastly, I sincerely hope those that pledged or may pledge will not be in any way unduly burdened. It's cliche but I end this message still feeling words are simply not enough.
Sincerely,
James Swayze
Friends,
Last Saturday night late when I wrote my words of gratitude I left some
people out. You see I had company and could not be rude and so wasn't able
to get to my email till late and was rushed to get my message posted before
too late for the next day. This afternoon as she left to return home from
her visit I had occasion to reflect on just how sweet and surprising life
can be and who I might be thankful to. That's right I have a woman in my
life and I honestly believe Cryonet members have much to do with it.
I've said openly recently to many that my belief in immortality has given me
hope and sustained and saved my present life. Every one of you has a hand in
that and I think of all of you as friends. From the constant posts with new
medical techniques that show promise for mine and other ailments to the
various experimenters sharing their data to the discussions and the
arguments, all have kept me going. Even if there was not the issue of
donation for my funding you all have already improved my life and may well
have saved it from despair.
The positive attitude for an unbound future I have attained and you all
helped foster made me positive enough to venture out of my solitude and post
something to an online date match service. One young lady read this and
contacted me and after getting to know each other through constant all day
long email correspondence for weeks she traveled to meet and spend time with
me. I know it's terribly off topic but I wanted to share what my attitude
gave me the courage to accomplish. As I shared here once I have been alone
for over eleven years so something had to have had a profound effect fairly
recently to finally budge me to action. I feel Cryonet has to have some role
in this. Please forgive me for sharing this terribly "off topic" personal
stuff here but perhaps it has bearing on the personal interest element of my
story and therefore of garnering publicity for CI and for Cryonics period.
So thank you all for your interest in my posts and for discussions and for
arguments and even differences of opinions.
James
---------
Please help my friend James! Mail what you can to:
Cryonics Institute, 24355 Sorrentino Court, Clinton Township, Michigan 48035.
thanks! : )
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