Thaddeus Daniel Pierce has entered the world under extraordinary circumstances, making scientific history as the globe’s “oldest baby”.
Born on July 26, 2025 in Ohio, Thaddeus emerged from an embryo that had been cryogenically frozen since 1994, a span of over 30 years, and surpassed prior records.
His birth illustrates not only a medical milestone but also the emotional and ethical dimensions of embryo adoption.
The Frozen Embryo Miracle
In the early 1990s, Linda Archerd, then struggling with fertility, underwent IVF treatment. Four embryos were created in 1994; one was implanted, resulting in the birth of a daughter who is now in her 30s.
The remaining three were cryopreserved and stored over the decades in a liquid nitrogen tank, at Linda’s continued expense of approximately $1,000 a year.
Linda retained full custody of these embryos following a divorce and chose not to discard them or donate them anonymously, viewing them as genetic siblings to her daughter.
Eventually, after reaching menopause and finding herself unable to transfer them herself, she opted for embryo adoption, a process that allowed her to specify preferences for adoptive parents and maintain a degree of contact with recipients
Embryo Adoption and the Choosing of Parents
Linda connected with Nightlight Christian Adoptions, specifically their Snowflakes program and an “Open Hearts” initiative designed to place long-stored embryos.
Through this platform, she was matched with Lindsey and Tim Pierce, a Christian couple from London, Ohio, who had been trying to conceive for seven years and were eager to adopt any potential embryos available.
Criteria set by Linda included religion, marital status, and race, conditions that aligned with the Pierces. Most fertility clinics in the U.S. decline to accept embryos stored for decades.
But in her case, Snowflakes assured her that the transfer would take place under the care of Rejoice Fertility Clinic in Tennessee, a smaller clinic known for accepting and thawing aged embryos.
Science Turned into Reality
The embryo, thawed at Rejoice Fertility Clinic under the supervision of reproductive endocrinologist Dr. John Gordon, was successfully implanted in Lindsey’s uterus in November 2024.
Of the three embryos placed in that cycle, one failed, two were transferred, but only one implanted firmly, eventually developing into Thaddeus.
Thaddeus was delivered on July 26, after what Lindsey described as “a rough birth,” though both mother and baby are now healthy and doing well.
His parents emphasize they never embarked on this journey seeking fame. As Lindsey put it, “We didn’t go into it thinking we would break any records, we just wanted to have a baby”.
How Did It Happen?
Cryopreservation places embryos at temperatures where essentially no biological activity occurs. When properly maintained, such conditions can preserve viability for decades.
IVF specialists clarify that embryos frozen even 30 years ago, especially when frozen and revived correctly, can result in full-term, healthy pregnancies without additional medical risk.
At Rejoice Fertility Clinic, protocols exist to carefully thaw embryos stored with older freezing techniques rather than modern vitrification.
According to the clinic's lab supervisor, all three embryos in this case survived thawing, and one developed successfully.
Dr. Gordon emphasizes a faith-based conviction that “every embryo deserves a chance at life,” and that refusal to discard unused embryos should be intentional and compassionate.
Setting A New Record
Thaddeus surpassed the previous record, formerly held by twins born in 2022 from embryos frozen in 1992, though that case also involved a transfer of long-frozen embryos.
The journey from 1994 to 2025 puts this example at over 11,148 days in cryostorage, the longest-known interval before birth to date.
Broader Implications
This case is more than just a medical oddity, it highlights ethical questions surrounding embryo storage, consent, and long-term reproductive possibilities.
In the United States, embryos may be stored indefinitely, though many clinics decline to honor embryos preserved past certain lengths of time. As a result, millions of embryos remain in storage without clear outcomes.
Thaddeus’s birth underscores how embryo adoption can offer an ethical pathway, one that aligns with certain donors’ values while simultaneously offering hope to recipient families facing infertility.
It also demonstrates that even embryos frozen with older technologies can remain viable, provided storage conditions remain constant and thaw protocols are carefully managed.
