A Minneapolis mom says she's the biological mother to three sets of twins, but two of those sets were born 15 years after she and her husband conceived the first, reported Insider. Marie and Randy Johnson chose to freeze and donate several embryos after going through fertility treatments to conceive their twin boys. The Johnsons have connected with the parents of the other sets of twins and the six siblings have gotten to meet one another, as well as their biological parents.
The Johnsons' story is a beautiful example of how families come in all shapes and sizes and can be made in more than one way. Marie shared her fertility and conception journey with Insider and talked about how she was able to connect with all of her twins.
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The families of all the twins met in 2019, but the Johnsons' story began in 2001.
Marie struggled to conceive for several years because she has polycystic ovary syndrome, reported Insider. She shared that she and her husband were initially hesitant to do IVF because of the cost and her age — 37 at the time — but decided to move forward with it in 2001. They had 15 embryos created on the first try. Three were transferred, with two implanted, and the remaining 12 were frozen. The Johnsons' twin boys were born in June 2003.
Marie shared that she and Randy were “desperate to have children of our own.” Their twin sons' arrival was happy and welcomed news. Marie said, “They were gifts from God."
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The couple wanted to have more children but a diagnosis changed that, and they decided to donate their embryos in 2008.
Though the Johnsons wanted to have more children, Randy was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which later turned out to be neurosarcoidosis, Marie told Insider. Marie said they thought, "It might not be the right thing to do to try to have more.”
In 2008, Marie and Randy made the decision to donate their embryos to the National Embryo Donation Center — a religious organization — and selected that they wanted an open adoption.
They were told it was not a common choice, but Marie said, “It meant we could have a relationship with the recipients and our biological offspring. We wanted those children to know that we loved them and would like to know them,” the outlet reported.
It wasn’t until 2016 that the first couple ‘adopted’ their embryos.
It wasn’t until eight years later that a couple adopted the Johnsons' embryos. In 2016, Jeni and Danny Gardner stepped forward. Marie told Insider she was impressed the Gardners wanted to adopt even though they already had five children. “I thought this is our family,” she said. The two couples talked and became close throughout the pregnancy and the Gardners had twin boys in November 2017.
Another couple that was struggling to conceive chose to adopt some of the Johnsons' remaining embryos just a few short days after the Gardners' twin boys were born. Amy and Robert Hefner shared their story in a Facebook post. They said that they emailed the donor family on their twin girls' birthday, June 11, and learned the Johnsons' twin boys — Kurt and Alex — had been born on the same day!
All three families met up in 2019. Marie said, 'We're grateful for each other.'
The Johnsons, Gardners, and Hefners met up in 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee, reported Insider. Marie described what it was like for all of them to be together. “Things felt so real. Randy and I posed for photos with our six biological children. Everyone got on well — especially the twins and the older Gardner kids. We had the best time. We have a special bond. Jeni and Robert had their biological son, Colin, in 2020. The twins are now 19, 5, and 4. Together, we're a family of 20. We're grateful for each other,” Marie said.
Amy Hefner who is the mother of the twin girls said, “It was neat to get to know the Johnsons and see physical characteristics in them that we have seen or will see one day in the girls. They have several of Randy’s features and Marie’s beautiful blue eyes,” reported the New York Post.
Jeni Gardner, who is the mother of the twin boys, said they want to be honest with their kids about the circumstances surrounding their conception and birth when they grow up. “At some point, it might be messy or sticky, but we want to be as open and forthcoming with information as we can. We’ll tell these precious children how we chose them and how much they were truly wanted,” she said, according to the news outlet.
