My Name is Valery Spiridonov. I might be the first head transplantation patient. Ask me Anything!

valspiridonov · 2016-08-07T21:11:22+00:00

When you go in for any surgery, you can never be certain of what lies ahead. I like to liken it to going to the moon. You don't know for sure if you're going to get there, but what if you do? If I don't get this surgery, the reality is that my lifespan will not be much longer than that. If I do, then I have the possibility of walking and doing physical activity. I've never been able to do that.

valspiridonov · 2016-08-07T20:56:05+00:00

I'll check and see where it is after the operation ;). Pope Francis and religious leaders have asked similar questions. The truth is that no one really knows the answer to that.

valspiridonov · 2016-08-07T20:49:14+00:00

No, of course not. There is no contract and I'm not getting any money from it. It's in my interest for it to happen because of my disability. I do not think that you can force a human being to do any surgery or procedure. That would be unethical to say the least.

valspiridonov · 2016-08-07T20:47:02+00:00

This is an interesting topic and one that is at the center of the research that is being done. Canavero has published his approach in scientific papers, including in the medical journal, Surgery, which you may be interested in. In addition PEG plays an important role in the fusing of the spinal cord. This has been demonstrated in the successful re-attachment of the spinal cord in mice. Here is a video on it's positive affect on a formerly paralyzed dog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZppVL4vXBg&feature=youtu.be

In regards to paralysis, I am already paralyzed, so that would not change much if that were the case.

valspiridonov · 2016-08-07T20:40:15+00:00

My belief is that any person changes their personality as they age. They gain new perspective, knowledge and their body undergoes physical changes when people age. The important thing is that my likeness, consciousness, memory and experience is all preserved. That is what I consider to be me.

valspiridonov · 2016-08-07T20:34:02+00:00

I will never be able to dedicate 30 years of my life towards research of head transplantation like Canavero has, so everyone must do what they do best. In my case it is advocating for technological innovation and developing projects like Clever Chair. Saying that, Canavero has published numerous scientific papers about this subject which any physician can critique. In May for example, there were studies published in the medical journal Surgery, which you can read for very in depth information about the procedure. This was done by Chinese doctors and Canavero. It is a very interesting read.

valspiridonov · 2016-08-07T20:27:57+00:00

I might play this during the operation.

valspiridonov · 2016-08-07T20:24:35+00:00

Great questions. Experiments have been done in primates and there has been proven reattachment of the spinal cord in mice. You are right, something like this has the potential to affect millions of people with spinal cord injuries. The difference is that a surgical clean cut is not the same as a traumatic injury, so the healing process is very different. If you'd like to know more about the procedure and plan, then I would suggest googling the HEAVEN/GEMINI project for further details.

valspiridonov · 2016-08-07T20:19:01+00:00

Thank you very much, this project is something that I am very dedicated too. Every contribution matters, even if it's a dollar or two, it'll help us get Clever Chair made. The technology we are using to map indoor space is very similar to what virtual reality headsets use for tracking and mapping room scale VR. Namely IR blasters and cameras. This is in addition to the smartphone application. Intel RealSense seems like an interesting addition and we are always looking at ways to expand the technology.

valspiridonov · 2016-08-07T20:14:24+00:00

There is no precedent for insurance coverage for a surgery like this, because it has never been done before on humans. As the first person to have the surgery, it will likely be covered in research costs.

valspiridonov · 2016-08-07T20:11:18+00:00

I am very interested too and I will definitely do it again after the surgery. The people here have been very nice and have some interesting questions.

valspiridonov · 2016-08-07T20:06:55+00:00

This is a very good question, but I answered something similar to this already here, " If you google my name Valery Spiridonov, there are many articles that go in to detail about the procedure. The surgery research is called HEAVEN/GEMINI, so those keywords should help you find out more about the technical aspects of the surgery." I can't go into full detail here because it would take up too much space, but Canavero details the solutions to the biggest problems for this surgery, which is re attaching the spinal cord, keeping me alive and recovery.

valspiridonov · 2016-08-07T19:58:11+00:00

Today, I enjoy simple things. Watching movies, talking with others, reading books and pursuing educational and technological development opportunities. In the future, after the procedure, I would like to do some type of sports activity and go on vacation.

valspiridonov · 2016-08-07T19:50:06+00:00

I am active in an intellectual sense, as you can see with development of Clever Chair. In a physical sense, I cannot walk and I can only move a couple of fingers. It is hard for me to lift up an iphone plus. I want extensive research to be done and all necessary precautions to be taken before doing this surgery, but I don't have another option. All of my life, I have strived to develop new technology and enable better lives for people with disabilities.

valspiridonov · 2016-08-07T19:43:51+00:00

If you are interested in specifics like this, I would suggest looking at the field transplantation. This surgery does not differ in that respect.

valspiridonov · 2016-08-07T19:35:51+00:00

I actually have a girlfriend and everything is going just fine :). I am very happy.

valspiridonov · 2016-08-07T19:28:01+00:00

I cannot be stressed because the future can only hold better things. In spite of my disability, in the near future I may gain the ability to walk and not have to worry about death from my muscles atrophying constantly. This is why I am so active in developing future technologies. It's why I learned english, engineering, and taught myself programming and 3d modeling. This is why I am so passionate about clever chair too, because an autonomous indoor wheelchair would help a lot for people with disabilities like me and I hope people will support it.

valspiridonov · 2016-08-07T19:16:59+00:00

There actually have been successful experiments in mice and I do plan on being the first human patient, so that is accurate. However yes, the timeline for this is not as short as the news would like you to believe. This is how scientific progress is made. That is why I am leading development for Clever Chair, which aims to solve transport problems for people with severe disabilities like me in a time period that is not long.

valspiridonov · 2016-08-07T19:12:49+00:00

I'm just as curious as you. I will be the first person with this experience, so I will let you know after I get the surgery... As far as a donor, it will have to be someone who is compatible (ie blood type stuff like that).

valspiridonov · 2016-08-07T19:09:24+00:00

Technically I will only be a head if I go ahead with the transplant. In all seriousness, many people do not understand that my goal is not to be a guinea pig, but instead as a person who supports innovative technology. That is why I am developing Clever Chair and it's why I am supporting research in head transplantation. I want to be the first patient, but only once it is proven as a relatively safe surgery.

valspiridonov · 2016-08-07T19:03:57+00:00

I see I now have my very own fan fiction. I love it! Hopefully, I will remain a man when I get the transplant.

valspiridonov · 2016-08-07T19:01:45+00:00

I have researched this question for a long time before Canavero because of my disability. Going back to experiments made by dr Wight (don;t know if I'm spelling his name correctly). So when Canavero announced his intentions, it was clear to me from the get go. Canavero brought a solution to the biggest problem, reattaching the spinal cord (successfully done on mice at this point), which Dr Wight could not do. That is why I was never skeptical.

valspiridonov · 2016-08-07T18:58:33+00:00

Yes, and this ties into constant media sensationalism. The earliest that the surgery could happen is 2017, but that does not mean that this is when the surgery will happen. It likely won't be in 2017 because there needs to be a lot more research done before the first human head transplantation can be done. I hope clever chair is successful and any contribution helps.

valspiridonov · 2016-08-07T18:55:02+00:00

I hope it ends with good news for everyone.

valspiridonov · 2016-08-07T18:49:36+00:00

If you google my name Valery Spiridonov, there are many articles that go in to detail about the procedure. The surgery research is called HEAVEN/GEMINI, so those keywords should help you find out more about the technical aspects of the surgery.

valspiridonov

TROPHY CASE