NineA baby boy has been born from the world’s oldest sperm, 23 years after his dad froze it.
At just 15, Alex Powell, from Australia, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He was told he needed to start chemotherapy immediately, and as the treatment was likely to leave him infertile, he made the decision to freeze his sperm.
That was over two decades ago, and now the delighted dad is father to a six-month-old baby who has made it into the Guinness World Records thanks to his decision.
Alex as a teenager - Mirror.comIt was Alex’s step mum who was worried about the chemo’s effect on his body that convinced him to go ahead with the procedure.
Later, Alex met his wife Vi and the pair decided to start a family. In 2013, they began IVF hoping that they would be able to have a baby.
In an interview with Nine News, Alex admitted to being nervous about using his sample: “When they bring those guys out, what’s going to happen? Are they all going to turn left?”
NineIt took only one year of IVF for Xavier to be conceived and he was born on June 17, 2015.
Alex spoke of his joy: “For me, it’s that sort of feeling in life you want to relive every moment if you can.”
Before Xavier, the previous record for being conceived using frozen sperm was 21 years. There is technically no limit on how long sperm can be stored for but it is usually just under ten years.
More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.