The first-ever surviving set of African American sextuplets have graduated from high school, with all six gearing up to continue their education in the fall.
Chris and Diamond Harris from Birmingham, Alabama welcomed their six babies in 2002, with Diamond delivering via C-section at 26.5 weeks.
Nearly 18 years later, the odds-defying children are all grown up and officially high school graduates, and achievement they celebrated together last week.
In photos from the special day, the four boys and two girls don matching blue caps and gowns and smile proudly on their front steps.
‘The morning of the ceremony, I sat in bed looking at their baby pictures and felt depressed,’ Diamond, 45, told Today. ‘It’s going to be too quiet.’
‘These kids have been my life for almost 18 years. They have been my reason,’ added Chris, 46. ‘I keep reminding myself it’s just going to be different, but everything will be OK.’
The sextuplets turn 18 on July 8, and the next month, they’ll pack for the next stages in their lives.
Kiera and Kobe will attend Lawson State Community College, with Kiera studying cosmetology.
Kaylynne will go to Alabama State University for its physical therapy program.
Kaleb and Kieran will attend Alabama A&M, with Kaleb majoring in computer science and Kieran pursuing art.
Kyle, who has autism, will do a life skills program.
Celebrity Sextuplets
The Harris sextuplets have been followed by the media since their birth in 2002. Diamond, a nurse, already had a five-year-old from her first marriage when she was prescribed fertility drugs by her doctor.
It was only during delivery that doctors found out that they were actually sextuplets.
At birth, each weighed between 1 lb. 3 oz. and 1 lb. 12 oz., which is normal premature babies, but doctors warned the parents that the first few days were the most dangerous.
‘Kaleb worried me,’ Diamond told NBC. ‘Because he was like transparent almost. I could see his organs. I could see his veins and I was really, really worried.’
The children remained in hospital for about about three months and were finally released at the end of October.
During a Dateline interview in 2003, Diamond said that she went through 60 disposable diapers and two cases of formula every day.
At the time, she said that the family spent about $1,100 a week in groceries, did 20 loads of laundry a week, and took out the trash five times a day.
In April 2007 they even appeared on Oprah.
In 2012, Chris and Diamond divorced, though the formal couple still gets along well — and both will miss time with all six of the sextuplets around.
Diamond told Today that the kids even seem to have their own way of speaking. 
‘No one else can understand what they’re saying,’ she said. ‘I’ll be like “Slow down, annunciate.” And they look at me all confused, like, “How did you not catch that?” It’s been that way since they started talking.”
