The Magnificent Seven 20 years later: what will be the fate of the world's first seven-year-olds

On November 19, 1997, a unique event took place — Bobby and Kenny McCaughey became the first couple in the world to give birth to seven twins, all of whom survived. Soon four brothers and three sisters will celebrate their 20th anniversary. Let's see how these guys have grown up and who they plan to become in the future.

Source: Lifebuzz

The birth of a septuplet — that's how the seventies are properly called — is a unique event. In 1997, all the doctors in the world threw up their hands and said that a miracle had happened, and the regional media told thousands of people about this story.

Bobby and Kenny McCaughey already had one daughter, and they tried to have a second child, but the attempts were unsuccessful. The treatment did not give results, so the couple decided to resort to IVF. As it turned out, all seven embryos took root in the mother. The shocked doctors informed McCaughey that they had an out-of—the-ordinary situation and they needed to solve something urgently - it was impossible to leave seven: the risk of pathologies was high. But the believing parents decided not to violate the divine providence and left everyone.

Then their decision caused not only the approval of others, but also a lot of criticism, the couple actually took a risk. The seven-year-olds were born 9 weeks ahead of schedule, the weight of newborn babies averaged 1.35 kg. Two of the seven children (Nathan and Alexis) were born with cerebral palsy. The babies were operated on so that they could start walking in the future. The other children (Kenny Jr., Natalie, Kelsey, Brandon and Joel) had no health problems.

The unusual family was actively helped by charitable organizations: they were presented with a seven-bedroom house, the kids got the opportunity to eat for free and go on vacation. When they were born, several universities offered them free tuition when they grew up.

Once the family met with President George W. Bush, they were repeatedly shown on TV - for example, in the famous Oprah Winfrey show.

When the children turned ten, the parents decided not to give numerous interviews anymore. An exception was made only for the Dateline NBC channel, which once a year shot one episode of a film about the life of the seven-year-olds. This decision was prompted by the tragic fate of the McCaughey quintuplets Dion, whose life was spoiled by excessive media attention.

For many years, a large family disappeared from the focus of attention of journalists, appearing there only in the year of the age of the seven-year-olds. But their 20th anniversary is approaching, so let's find out how unique brothers and sisters live now.

Kenneth McCaughey, future builder

The oldest of the siblings, Kenny Jr. weighed 1,474 grams at birth. Now this young man is the soul of the company and a student of the construction department of Des Moines Community College. Immediately after birth, the children of the McCaughey family were guaranteed a scholarship to study at any state college or university in Iowa, where the family came from.

Kenneth chose a career as a builder at school. He is not sad about the fact that he had to leave the family nest. "I think it will be good for all of us to start our own way," he admitted to NBC News.

Alexis May, future kindergarten teacher

The eldest of the sisters, Alexis weighed 1219 grams at birth. She is one of two children born with cerebral palsy. Despite the fact that she has to use a special device to walk, in high school she became the second captain of the cheerleading squad. Alexis enrolled in the same college as her older brother, choosing a career as a teacher. In the future, the girl wants to work with preschool children.

Kelsey Ann, future star of the music scene

The youngest of three sisters, Kelsey Ann weighed only 907 grams at birth. While studying at school, she sang in a girls' choir, and after graduating, she decided to enroll at Hannibal-Lagrange University, which offered grants for teaching children at their birth. In the future, the girl dreams of connecting her life with music and making a career as a singer.

Natalie Sue, future elementary school teacher

The middle of the three sisters, Natalie Sue weighed 977 grams at birth. When she graduated from school, she got into the top 15% of the graduation students. Like her younger sister Kelsey Ann, Natalie chose a grant from Hannibal-Lagrange University. In the future, the girl plans to become a primary school teacher.

Nathan Roy, future IT specialist

Nathan Roy was born the fifth and weighed 1145 grams. He is one of two children with cerebral palsy. In 2005, he had to undergo another major spinal cord surgery so that he could start walking. After graduation, he also enrolled at Hannibal-Lagrange University, where he studies at the Faculty of Computer Science. "I've always liked everything related to computers," he admitted to reporters.

Brandon James, military

Brandon James was born sixth with a weight of 970 grams. Unlike his brothers and sisters, he decided not to continue his studies after school, but enlisted in the army and now serves in the infantry.

Joel Stephen, future IT specialist

The youngest in the family, Joel weighed 975 grams at birth. Like his brother Nathan, he decided to link his life with computer science and also enrolled at Hannibal-Lagrange University.