Quadruplets who were expected not to survive at birth will turn 18 this week

In 2005, parents of identical quadruplets, Ellie, Jessica, Georgie, and Holly, were told that they were more likely to win a lottery than see all four of their babies survive.

However, the quadruplets miraculously beat the odds and are turning 18 this week. And for the first time in their lives, the sisters are set to be separated from each other, the Good News Network reported.

To celebrate their milestone, the girls asked for a celebration night out for dinner with their parents, Julie and Jose, in Bedfordshire, England followed by a concert to attend together.

“They haven’t really asked for much,” said Julie. “We’re going to celebrate the day as a family. We’re very close.

“They will then go off into the adult world and do their own thing. I think they will miss each other but they will enjoy the freedom.”

Eighteen years ago, the couple had learned from an 11-week scan that they were having quads, and they were monochorionic babies who were dependent on a shared placenta.

“Initially, the sonographer said it was unlikely that they would survive. We were traumatised. Over the weekend we did some research and accepted it. We felt like we were given a gift,” said the mother. 

On March 23, Julie welcomed Ellie, Georgina, Jessica and Holly just minutes apart, weighing 2lb 8oz, 2lb 7oz, 2lbs and 1lbs 9oz respectively, before being rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for eight weeks.

According to the couple, the day they were allowed to bring the siblings home was the “best day of their life”.

“Them turning 18 makes us really proud,” says Julie. “You don’t often get to look back at what you have done over the years. It is only when someone points it out, we are like ‘oh my gosh, what we have done is amazing’.”