Ohio, Aug 2 : In a remarkable medical and personal journey, an Ohio couple has successfully welcomed a baby born from an embryo that was cryogenically preserved for over three decades. Lindsey (35) and Tim Pierce (34), of London, Ohio, who had been trying to conceive for seven years, are now proud parents to Thaddeus Daniel Pierce.
The embryo from which Thaddeus developed was one of four created in 1994 by Linda Archerd, now 62, through in vitro fertilization (IVF). One of Archerd’s embryos resulted in the birth of a daughter, who is now 30 years old and a mother herself. The remaining three embryos were cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen.
Following her divorce, Archerd was granted custody of the cryopreserved embryos. She chose to donate them through Nightlight Christian Adoptions’ “Snowflakes” program, which matches donor embryos with adoptive families based on shared values, including religion and ethnicity. Archerd specifically sought a white, Christian, married couple for her embryos.
In November 2024, one of the embryos, which had been frozen for approximately 30 years, was transferred to Lindsey Pierce. According to reports, the fertility clinic responsible for the transfer is led by Dr. John Gordon, a reproductive endocrinologist and Reformed Presbyterian. Dr. Gordon’s clinic operates with a mission to give every stored embryo a chance at life, guided by principles of faith.
Archerd noted a striking resemblance between Thaddeus and her own daughter as a baby, confirming their genetic sibling relationship.
The Pierces stated their motivation was purely to have a child, not to set any records. This birth, however, has established a new record for the longest-frozen embryo resulting in a live birth, surpassing the previous record held by twins born in Oregon in 2022 from embryos frozen since 1992.
IVF is a fertility treatment where eggs are retrieved from a woman and fertilized with sperm in a lab. The resulting embryos can be transferred to the uterus or cryopreserved for future use.
