A pair of record-breaking twins who made headlines last year when they were the longest-known frozen embryos to ever result in a live birth has just celebrated another milestone – their first birthday.
Timothy and Lydia Ridgeway were born on October 31, 2022, to Philip and Rachel Ridgeway, after the couple adopted the babies as frozen embryos. Stunningly, the twins started life in 1992 — just three years after Rachel was born — when they were conceived as embryos for IVF use. Their biological parents, who remain anonymous, donated the embryos to the National Embryo Donation Center (NEDC) in 2007.
“The story is mind-boggling, and they’ve become mini-celebrities since it went viral,” Rachel told Insider.
Rachel and Philip credit their faith in God with deciding to adopt the embryos, even after they learned that the babies’ biological father had died of ALS.
“These embryos are often overlooked because they were donated by parents who had a known history of certain genetic disorders,” Rachel explained. “We found out that these kids are rarely looked at because many parents coming into the process are wondering what they could have.”
READ: Couple’s adoption of embryo frozen for over two decades sets world record
“We decided that we were going to look for children that had, in one sense, been waiting the longest because they might not be perfect.”
“They have a potential flaw which, to us, seems silly because all of us have potential flaws,” she continued. “All of us have the possibility of developing any number of illness, disease, or whatever it may be.”
The rise in techniques like IVF has led to a surplus of frozen human embryos, with the NEDC estimating there are as many as 1,000,000 such embryos in the United States alone. The NEDC helps connect these embryos with couples like the Ridgeways who are open to adoption and willing to give these children a chance at life.
Rachel told Insider that preparations were underway for a birthday party for the twins.
“We’re having chocolate cake with balloons on the top,” she said, adding, “It’s going to be messy.”
