Snowflakes and winter go together like a hand in a glove.
A delicate snowflake sparkles brightly on a cold winter day. As we pass the winter solstice our days begin to lengthen coming out of darkness into light. This annual occurrence may be seen as a sign of hope, a hope that brighter times will soon be here. The Snowflakes® Embryo Adoption Program developed cooperatively by Marlene Strege and Ronald Stoddart, Esq., is the first embryo adoption program in the world. The program was named Snowflakes because like a delicate snowflake each embryo is frozen, unique and a gift from God. The program was officially established in 1997 as a division of Nightlight® Christian Adoptions.
Using the best practices of adoption, the Snowflakes program helps couples who have completed their family select another couple to donate their remaining embryos in order to give those embryos a chance to be born.
Hannah is Snowflake baby #1! She was born on December 31, 1998, and placed into the wondrous and grateful arms of her parents. Hannah Strege is like most American teenagers. She likes to hang out with her friends. She listens to music and watches funny YouTube videos. She’s planning where she will go to college and hopes to become a physician’s assistant. She likes to eat pizza and go to movies. Yes, Hannah is an American girl.
Hannah’s parents, Marlene and John Strege, are delighted to have their American girl! Back in the 90’s the Streges were wondering if they would ever have a girl or a boy as they faced the stresses of an infertility diagnosis. They had already determined that they were not comfortable with creating more embryos through IVF, especially if it meant using donated human eggs. But this idea of using embryos that were waiting in frozen storage was intriguing. Marlene decided to seek out advice from life-long friend and experienced adoption attorney, Ron Stoddart and from several spiritual advisors, including Dr. James Dobson, to determine if using donated human embryos should be considered at all.
Simply being assigned anonymously donated embryos from a fertility clinic was not the procedure John and Marlene wanted to follow.
Experiencing pregnancy and childbirth is the primary motivation of most families who choose embryo adoption over other forms of adoption. It’s also an economical alternative, often costing much less than IVF or the domestic adoption of an infant. There are over 1,000,000 embryos in frozen storage in the U.S.; not all will be donated for reproduction, but Snowflakes provides potential donors with a life-giving choice for their remaining embryos.
18 years later, Snowflake baby #470 baby Marley was born to her parents Marty and Elizabeth, a healthy 8lb, 1.3oz, 20.5” girl. While Hannah (Snowflake baby #1) was born in 1998, Marley’s embryo was created in a petri dish and frozen in 1998. She was born nearly 18 years later after her parents adopted her and gave birth to her. Marley is Snowflake baby #470.
The Snowflakes program serves clients throughout the country and the world. In 2017 Snowflakes will celebrate its 20th anniversary and the birth of the 500th Snowflake baby! Visit their website www.Snowflakes.org or call 970-663-6799 to learn more about donating or adopting embryos.
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