In a medical and personal miracle that seems straight out of a science-fiction film, a couple from London, Ohio, has welcomed a baby boy who was a frozen embryo for over three decades, setting a new world record. Thaddeus Daniel Pierce was born on July 26, after spending 31 years and 56 days as a cryopreserved embryo—a storage period believed to be the longest in history to result in a live birth.
Thaddeus’s parents, Lindsay and Tim Pierce, had been trying to start a family for seven years before they turned to a unique program called embryo adoption. In 2022, they were matched with embryos donated by a woman in Oregon, who had originally created them through an IVF cycle in 1994.
For Lindsay and Tim, the journey was about fulfilling their dream of having a child, not about breaking a record. “We didn’t go into this thinking about records—we just wanted to have a baby,” Lindsay said. “The program itself just felt like something out of a sci-fi movie.”
The successful transfer was overseen by Dr. John David Gordon at Rejoice Fertility in Knoxville, Tennessee, a clinic known for its commitment to accepting older embryos that other clinics might turn away. Of the three embryos donated to the Pierces, one did not survive the thaw. Two were transferred to Lindsay’s womb, but only one, Thaddeus, successfully implanted.
The birth of a healthy baby from an embryo created in 1994, the same year the PlayStation was released, has captured global attention. It not only pushes the boundaries of reproductive science but also highlights the ethical and emotional complexities surrounding embryo donation. For the Pierce family, however, the story is a simple one of hope, faith, and the joy of welcoming a “precious baby” into their lives.
