In 1997, in Iowa (USA), Kenny and Bobbi McCaughey became the parents of the world’s first surviving septuplets.
The birth of these special babies, who arrived 9 weeks premature, captured the attention of the world. The new parents were overwhelmed with media interviews and appearances, even making an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show to celebrate the babies’ first birthday. Each child received their own cake, and they had the chance to meet former President Bill Clinton.
The septuplets—Kenny Jr., Alexis, Natalie, Kelsey, Nathan, Brandon, and Joel—kept their parents on their toes, especially as they already had an older daughter. The babies required, on average, 52 diapers and 42 bottles of milk per day.
The couple received many donations to help care for their seven children, including a 5,500-square-foot home, a van, a year’s supply of Kraft macaroni and cheese, diapers for the first two years, and a full scholarship to any college in Iowa.
To reduce costs, the parents began growing their own vegetables. Two of the septuplets, Alexis and Nathan, were diagnosed with cerebral palsy and used walkers. In 2005, Nathan had back surgery to improve his walking ability, and since then, he has learned to walk independently.
The septuplets graduated high school and went on to college. Natalie, Kelsey, Nathan, and Joel received scholarships to the private Hannibal-LaGrange University in Hannibal, Missouri. Kenny and Alexis stayed closer to home and attended Des Moines Community College, while Brandon enlisted in the U.S. Army.
The siblings, who graduated from college this spring, shared that attending college was their first experience with independence. Kelsey, who now specializes in public relations and hopes to work in media, shared, “Growing up, we were always together. Whatever we did, wherever we went, we were always together.” She added that college allowed them to “be independent, showcase our talents, and dive deep into what we want to learn and what we want in our careers.”
In 2015, their older sister Mikaela got married, and the septuplets became aunts and uncles for the first time. Natalie married in May 2019, and four months later, her brother Brandon followed suit.
Now, Natalie is hoping to pursue graduate school in sports coaching, while Alexis is studying early childhood education and wants to become an elementary school teacher. She has won multiple beauty pageants for children with special needs and was crowned Teen Miss Dreams Made True in 2013. Nathan and Joel are studying computer information systems, with Joel aiming for a career in cybersecurity at Google, and Nathan enjoying building computers.
Kelsey, reflecting on their journey, said, “We have six siblings, and not only are we all the same age, but we’re also best friends. We’re not just seven septuplets. We’re becoming independent people.”
These septuplets, who were once considered miracles, continue to thrive and prove that they can overcome any challenge in life.
