Des Moines history: Bobbi and Kenny McCaughey and their septuplets
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Bobbi and Kenny McCaughey appear before a press conference at Blank Children's Hospital on Nov. 21, 1997. Photo: Najlah Feanny/Corbis via Getty Images
This week's History Mystery features Bobbi and Kenny McCaughey, a central Iowa couple known for being parents to the first living set of septuplets.
Flashback: Through the use of fertility treatment, Bobbi McCaughey welcomed her first daughter, Mikayla, in 1996.
- When she used treatment again, she became pregnant with seven. Though the health risks were high, Bobbi was able to give birth to them all with the help of a 66-member medical team at Blank Children's Hospital on Nov. 19, 1997, through cesarean section.
Internationally, they garnered heavy media attention. The McCaugheys received a congratulatory phone call from then-President Clinton. A year later, they were on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
- They received community support and corporate donations, including a new house, van, groceries, diapers and strollers.
State of play: In 2018, the McCaugheys became empty nesters and sold their 5,500-square-foot Carlisle home to Ruth Harbor, a Christian nonprofit that uses the house to support single mothers.
- The septuplets are 27 now and are living their own lives.
Worthy of your time: Former KCCI anchor Mollie Cooney revisits story of Iowa's McCaughey septuplets
