In an extraordinary case that could set a new world record, a baby boy named Thaddeus Daniel Pierce was recently born in Ohio from an embryo that had been frozen for over three decades.
His parents, Lindsey (35) and Tim Pierce (34), had spent years struggling with infertility before choosing to adopt an embryo through the Snowflakes program—an initiative run by Nightlight Christian Adoptions that facilitates embryo adoption.
The embryo, originally created in 1994 during an IVF cycle by Linda Archerd and her then-husband, had been stored in cryopreservation for more than 30 years. One of the embryos from that cycle resulted in Archerd’s daughter, now 30, while three others remained frozen.
Archerd, now 62, was deeply committed to ensuring the remaining embryos weren’t discarded, anonymously donated, or used for research. Wanting to preserve a sense of genetic continuity for her daughter, she spent decades paying for their storage and ultimately partnered with a Christian adoption agency that allows donors to choose the adoptive family’s religious, racial, and national background. That’s how the Pierces were selected—a married, Christian, Caucasian couple living in the U.S.
The embryo transfer was successfully carried out at Rejoice Fertility in Tennessee, a clinic known for its commitment to transferring embryos regardless of age. Prior to this, the record for the longest-preserved embryos to result in a live birth was held by twins born in 2022 from embryos frozen in 1992.
Though the Pierces didn’t set out to make headlines, they’re overjoyed by the arrival of Thaddeus. Archerd hasn’t yet met the baby in person but says she already notices a resemblance between him and her daughter.
