Party for seven! Record-breaking McCaughey septuplets turn 18 and prepare to graduate high school 

• Kenny, Kelsey, Natalie, Brandon, Alexis, Nathan and Joel McCaughey, from Carlisle, Iowa, will turn 18 on November 19
• The septuplets were born after their mother, Bobbi, took fertility drugs 
• The children achieved international headlines after they were born in 1997, with some criticizing their parents for refusing selective reduction 
• Two of the children have cerebral palsy but all are healthy and are doing well at high school

By Joel Christie For Dailymail.com

Published: 11:24 EST, 16 September 2015 | Updated: 13:59 EST, 16 September 2015

Doctors were worried they wouldn't survive their first few days out of the womb when they were famously brought into the world in 1997.

But not only did the McCaughey septuplets make it, they flourished, and are now preparing to celebrate their 18th birthday and transition into life after high school.

Kenny, Kelsey, Natalie, Brandon, Alexis, Nathan and Joel - the world's first septuplets to survive infancy -  will mark the milestone occasion on Thursday, November 19, at their home in Carlisle, Iowa.

And no one is more surprised the event has come around so soon than their parents, Bobbi and Kenny McCaughey.

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All grown up: The McCaughey septuplets (clockwise from left) Brandon, Alexis, Joel, Nathan, Kenny Jr., Kelsey and Natalie - along with parents Bobbi (left) and Kenny Sr. (right) - appear on the TODAY show Wednesday on the eve of the children's 18th birthday

Early days: Bobbi McCaughey, pictured in 1998, used fertility treatment and had refused selective reduction

The septuplets will soon turn 18 and graudate high school. They are seen here with their parents older sister Mikayla (second left) who is now 19

'The (years) have flown by,' mom Bobbi McCaughey told TODAY in a special interview on Wednesday.

'Just because there's been so many things that have happened. 

'The memories, the joy, the heartaches that happened. 

'It's what has guided us to where we are today, and it's very special.' 

Bobbi and her husband Kenny declined selective reduction after learning they were pregnant with seven children following fertility treatment, saying it was 'in God's hands'.

It was a controversial move at the time and one that garnered the couple much criticism.

The septuplets were born nine weeks prematurely on November 19, 1997, in Des Moines, Iowa.

Happy and healthy: Natalie, left in hospital and right today, is a promising student who enjoys studying 

Strong: Brandon, pictured left and right, enjoys wrestling and is decribed as 'stubborn and strong'

Tiny: Kelsey was the lightest baby at 2lb 5oz but she now enjoys soccer

Class clown: Kenny Jr. is described as the funny one of the family who is quick to speak up 

Fighter: Alexis, who suffers from cerebral palsy, is in cheerleading as a manager and hopes to be a teacher

Impressive: Nathan, who also has cerebral palsy, hopes for a career in science after school

Last but not least: Joel was the 8th to be born, weighing just 2lbs 15oz. He now runs track

Amid the media frenzy, President Bill Clinton personally called the family to congratulate the family, Oprah welcomed them on her show and companies and strangers scrambled to help out the couple.

Among the donations, they received a 5,500 square foot home, a van, a year's worth of Kraft's macaroni and cheese, diapers for the first two years and full college scholarships for any state university in Iowa.

During the early months, the septuplets drank 42 bottles a day and went through 52 diapers.

But over the years, the media coverage has waned and the coupons for free food have run out - encouraging the family to be frugal.

And from their early teenage years, the septuplets have been helping out the family by carrying out chores, such as their own laundry.

Bursting: Bobbi lies at Iowa Methodist Hospital Center in Des Moines in 1997 before giving birth

Challenge: During the early months, the septuplets drank 42 bottles a day and went through 52 diapers

Stocked up on supplies: Family matriarch, Bobbi, 46, said that food shopping remains one of the biggest struggles and she buys everything in bulk in a bid to cut costs

Full up: It's no easy task feeding a family with eight children, but the McCaughey's manage just fine  

Early days: Bobbi McCaughey, pictured in 1998, used fertility treatment and had refused selective reduction

The family still lives in the same house that was donated after the births and continues to use the same van.

Bobbi McCaughey said Wednesday it was that support that got them through with raising the three four boys and three girls. 

The couple also have an older daughter, Mikayla, who is now 19 and married. 

'I think early on we had so much help from family and friends,'' Bobbi said. 

'If there was anything we needed, there was always someone there who was willing to help us. 

'We have a super strong support system. 

'We have a super strong faith that has been the rock that we have had to stand on.' 

Celebration: The McCaughey septuplets (with their parents, Kenny and Bobbi, center, and their big sister Milayla, back left) are turning 18 in November. They are seen here before their 16th birthday in 2013

But it hasn't been without struggle.

Two of the children, Alexis and Nathan, were born with forms of cerebral palsy.

Both of the children underwent surgery, including a spinal operation to help Nathan walk, over the years, but they are doing well.

In 2013, Alexis also started taking part in beauty pageants for special needs children.

'It feels really awesome,' Alexis told the Carrolls Paper at the time. 

'I love just interacting with all the girls because they're really nice.' 

The children are now looking to colleges and what to do with their lives.

Wedding bells: Older sister Mikayla, 19, recently got married, with sisters Natalie, Alexis and Kelsey among her bridesmaids (right)

But looking back, they are grateful for the situation they were born into.  

'You're never alone,'' Kenny Jr. told Today. 

'There's always someone to talk to and hang out with. That's what I think is the best.'

For Kelsey, there has nothing terrible about her upbringing as a septuplet. 

'I don't think there's a worst part,'' she said.

'I've enjoyed all of it.'

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