What memories do you have as a child around this time of year? Perhaps, like me it was the family gatherings, the gift exchanges, blessing those who are not so fortunate, or just watching the snow fall slowly down from the sky. It always looked so beautiful as its gentle blanket covered the landscape. Each snowflake adding its own impact.
In celebration of the season, I remember cutting out snowflakes, adding glitter, and using them to add a little sparkle to my daily life. Did you ever cut out snowflakes in order to decorate for the winter season? And did you know, there is even a special day allocated to that every year. Make Cut-Out Snowflakes Day is celebrated on December 27th. Imagine all around the world people are making paper cut outs of snowflakes, each one completely different from all the rest!
Some of us only think about snowflakes during the winter months, but there is more than type of ‘snowflake.’ This is a ‘snowflake’ which inspires many families to get excited about love, hope, and happiness? Here in the United States, it’s estimated that there are over a million of them. That’s a lot of snowflakes!
The ‘snowflakes’ we are referring to are frozen embryos.
The term ‘snowflakes’ to describe frozen embryos was coined by an adoption agency called Nightlight Christian Adoptions. Nightlight facilitates many different adoption programs, including the Snowflakes Embryo Adoption Program. Founded in 1997, the Snowflakes program is considered the first embryo adoption program in the world.
What is the different between embryo adoption and donation? Families who achieve pregnancy through the process of IVF often find they have more embryos than they are able to use. Once their family is complete, a family may place their remaining embryos to be adopted by another family. This is a beautiful gift for an adoptive family, who without the placing family’s kindness may never have had the opportunity to become pregnant and have a family they can call their own.
During this holiday season of love and goodwill, perhaps, you might give a thought to the million or more ‘snowflakes’ that are just waiting to be born. Maybe you yourself have unused embryos you would like to donate for reproduction, through the Snowflakes program or another program or clinic. Or maybe you are someone who would like to adopt embryos, to have the opportunity of becoming a parent, and welcoming a new baby into your home. Each one adding their own little ‘snowflake’ sparkle!
To learn more about embryo adoption and donation, visit EmbryoAdoption.org.
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