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World's oldest baby? Ohio couple welcomes child born from embryo frozen in 1994
Ohio couple welcomes baby from a 30-year-old frozen embryo, calling it a surreal yet real gift of science and faith.
After seven long years of trying to conceive, Ohio couple Lindsey Pierce, 35, and Tim Pierce, 34, have finally welcomed their baby boy, Thaddeus Daniel Pierce. But this was not an ordinary birth. According to BBC News, the baby was born from an embryo frozen over 30 years ago, possibly setting a new world record.
The embryo was originally created in 1994 by Linda Archerd, now 62, and her then-husband through IVF. Of the four embryos formed, one became Archerd’s daughter. The remaining three were kept in storage until one was adopted by the Pierces, bringing new life to a decades-old hope.
Baby Thaddeus arrives 30 years after embryo creation
For nearly three decades, Linda Archerd preserved three embryos created during IVF, spending thousands each year to keep them frozen. Even after her split from her husband, she could not bring herself to destroy or anonymously donate them, as they shared a genetic link with her daughter.
As reported by BBC News, she eventually turned to Nightlight Christian Adoptions and their “Snowflakes” program, which allows donors to select adoptive families based on values like religion and ethnicity. Archerd’s wish was clear: a married, Caucasian, Christian couple from the US. Her decision led to the birth of baby Thaddeus Daniel Pierce.
How the embryo found its family
Reportedly, MS Pierce said she and her husband did not set out to “break any records,” but just “wanted to have a baby.” Through Nightlight’s “Snowflakes” embryo adoption program, they were matched with Ms Linda Archerd, who had preserved her embryos for three decades.
Also read: Egg vs embryo freezing: What you need to know
The IVF procedure took place at Rejoice Fertility in Tennessee, where doctors believe in giving every embryo a chance, regardless of age. Thaddeus was born from a 1994 embryo, possibly setting a new world record. Ms Archerd has not met him yet, but already notices a likeness to her daughter.
For the Pierces, it is surreal, like something out of a science fiction movie, yet a very real gift of modern medicine, per the BBC. Case in point, Thaddeus' birth may mark a new milestone in medical history, as it likely breaks the previous record set by twins born in 2022 from embryos frozen in 1992.
