There are a half million frozen embryos in storage in the United States, and 8-year-old Noah was one of those frozen embryos when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. Noah’s mother, Rebekah, had received IVF treatments at The Fertility Institute in New Orleans, where she had already conceived her first child and had five embryos remaining in frozen storage. Rebekah’s five embryos joined the nearly 1,400 others being kept at the clinic when the hurricane tore through the city of New Orleans.
The clinic took measures to protect the embryos, moving them to the third floor of the clinic and covering them in liquid nitrogen in an attempt to keep them at the required 320 degrees below zero. Unfortunately, the clinic lost power in the floods and temperatures climbed to 100 degrees, leaving doubts as to the chances of the embryo’s survival. Two weeks after the storm, representatives from the clinic were able to return in boats and retrieve the embryos, but no one knew if they would still be viable. Rebekah and her husband decided to take the chance. Less than a year after the storm she became pregnant with her son, Noah.
Noah’s story is an incredible demonstration of how the embryos who have been created for life deserve that opportunity. Frozen embryos can remain in storage for 10 years or more and still become beautiful, healthy babies when given the chance. Some experts believe that given the proper storage and care, embryos should be able to remain in storage for 15 to 20 years – or even more. Noah’s story is remarkable, though, in that this tiny, frozen embryo endured incredible circumstances and still developed into a healthy, happy boy. You can learn more about helping other frozen embryos get their chance at life by visiting www.embryoadoption.org.
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