World’s first septuplets graduate high school, ready to venture on separate paths
The world’s first surviving septuplets have graduated from high school, as the seven siblings plan to lead separate paths.
It took parents Bobbi and Kenny McCaughey one injection of the fertility drug Metrodin to become pregnant with seven babies as Bobbi McCaughey was born with a malfunctioning pituitary gland and did not produce enough hormones to stimulate ovulation.
Doctors feared seven births could be dangerous, and encouraged the parents to consider selective reduction, but they declined, saying their fate was “in God’s hands”, the Daily Mail reported.
The septuplets were born nine weeks premature, in Des Monies, Iowa, on November 19, 1997, ranging in weight from 1.05 kilograms to 1.5 kilograms, joining older sister Mikayla.
Two of the children were born with forms of cerebral palsy, but both are now reportedly doing well after surgery and successful rehabilitation.
Amid the media frenzy following the births, Oprah welcomed the family on her show and donations from companies and strangers flooded in, including free university education, 1676sq m home, a van, a year's worth of Kraft's macaroni and cheese, and two year's worth of free nappies.
Now 18-year-olds Alexis, Brandon, Joel, Kelsey, Kenny, Natalie and Nathan McCaughey have each graduated on Sunday as part of Carlisle High School's class of 2016.
The the septuplets planned to venture on separate paths following high school, including the military, college and some going straight into the workforce, according to the local paper The Des Moines Register.
Two of the McCaughey children plan to attend Hannibal-LaGrange University in Missouri, where their parents say they were promised a free education.
The family struggled to make ends meet and had to save for braces for some of the children, as well as to cover Alexis and Nathan’s medical bills.
Bobbi and Kenny said they were grateful for the help of the community, which they said reduced a lot of pressure so their seven babies could successfully grow.
News break – May 24
