A week before Father's Day, Rozonno McGhee, 30, became a father...of six. Mr. McGhee and his wife Mia, 29, became an instant family of eight when Mrs. McGhee gave birth on June 9, 2010 to sextuplets. The babies, born prematurely, are still in the neo-natal unit at Ohio State University Medical Center, but are expected to begin coming home within two weeks.
After being married for 11 years and unsuccessfully trying to start a family, the McGhee's turned to fertility drugs which led to a twin pregnancy. The twins were born prematurely last year and did not survive. When Mrs. McGhee became pregnant again with multiples, a selective reduction was advised. The McGhee's knew it would be difficult to care for so many children at once but decided to continue the pregnancy without a reduction in the number of fetuses. One baby did die in utero several weeks before the sextuplets were born.
The six children were born at 27 weeks gestation weighing between 1.5 and 2 pounds. They will have spent nearly all of their first three months of life in the hospital, creating significant medical bills.
As of now, the McGhee's have received very little financial or community assistance to help them support these children. In the past, multiple families have been showered with diapers and formula and other baby necessities, but this couple has not experienced that treatment. According to the Columbus Post-Dispatch, Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee sent six Buckeyes onesies, and the Columbus City Council gave the McGhee's a certificate honoring the city's first set of sextuplets. A fund set up at Chase bank after the babies' birth remained empty as of the beginning of this month.
Mr. McGhee is a carpet and upholstery cleaner and Mrs. McGhee is leaving her job at JP Morgan Chase to care for the children. Cutting their income in half only adds to the financial stress of raising six children, who will come home to a two-bedroom house.
Though the babies, Rozonno Jr., Isaac, Josiah, Elijah, Madison and Olivia, have had an added stress of their parents, the McGhee's wouldn't have it any other way. Mrs. McGhee told the Columbus Post-Dispatch that she is staying positive. She said the babies are healthy, and she trusts that the hard times are temporary. "I'm happy," she said. "I have a family."
To help support this family, you can make a donation at any Chase bank branch.
Comments
Their problem. They went for the fertility drugs, the chose not to reduce, then welcome to the real world and enjoy the your already generous tax cuts for those hungry mouths. And congratulations :)
my thoughts too. it's NICE if people help, but no one is owed programs and support for a decision that they made
Good news! The Dispatch has another article reporting on a flow of help offers after the original article was published.
People in need deserve help - period. Thank you for reporting on this. Parenting one child is hard enough! And God Bless this couple for keeping these beautiful lives when they were presented with the choice to "reduce."
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/08/03/sextu...
If only they white. Then people would be falling all over themselves to give them stuff. Just like the white families who are squeezing out 10 plus children.
My interest in helping or even caring about families that choose to have multiples went out the window with Octomom.
My interest in helping or even caring about families that choose to have multiples went out the window with Octomom.
The issue here is that there race is the reason they aren't receiving the support but are instead getting lectures. We have all seen the kind of support whites get when they have six kids. It's a completely different response.
The thing in this country is that white folks are always working overtime to cover up hide and not talk about how racist this country is. The so-called greatest of all countries.
"There" race might have been a reason, prior to the Gosselins and the Octomom. These days, I think anyone who squeezes out multiple babies because of fertility drugs deserves a yawn and roll of the eyes... Not freebies and people bending over backwards to reward them.
To all of you white posters who will try to paint the situation with your colorblind brush, have you learned about the double number of death threats Obama has received over any prior president in the history of the US? Did you miss the Tea Party spitting on Black congressmen and calling them the n word? This society is so far from postracial. The treatment of this family is directly related to race!
At work when watching the news in the lounge I have quipped that only white kids go missing because that's the impression I get. Very rarely is there a story of a nonwhite kid missing. I suppose this is a similar situation.
Stories of multiple-baby births I have seen on the news have always been of white families. Does this mean that most such births are of white parents or is there a case of yet another racial disparity?
Personally I feel no "obligation" to help such people; be they white, black, or brown. I have chosen not to have kids so I can spend my money on weed, beer, and the occasional date. However, I can't help but think that race is a factor here. Although, to be fair to white people, I'm not sure that every white "litter" is showered with attention and aid from others.
Every day ther is astory of some Latino `kid goes missing, usually kidnapped by one of the unwed parents.
If it is a white or black thing, then why don't the blacks get together and give them money? Because most of the whites are working to pay for welfare and food stamps already!
Good that you're working to take care of your own. Because, it's mostly white folks who are on welfare, receiving food stamps, living in trailer parks and smoking meth.
First, the family never asked for community assistance. The writer of this article interjected her own opinion about whether or not the community has offered its assistance. In addition, the question of support seemed to have been asked to family. My thought on the matter is that this family simply wanted kids and now they have them.
Ummm, why are people making this about race? I really hope that this family can get some help. I will pray for them. I could not imagine not being able to have a baby. I would probably try fertility drugs or invitro, then a surrogate, and then adoption if I were not able to get pregnant naturally. I would probably do everything I could to minimize the possibility of multiples, but there are no guarantees. They sound like a nice family and I wish them the best.
By the way, the person that said Pres. Obama has received more death threats than any other Pres, just b/c he is black obviously does not remember Pres. Bush. Hello? Why do people have to bring up race all the time? Who cares? we're all people?
Good comments! I think a discourse on this subject is always helpful as long as we remember that we can disagree agreeably. I'm glad the family got some help and that they were able to tell their story on Oprah. After learning more about them, I'm even more impressed.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!