The Detroit News (Page 2A)
July 16, 1982
DETROIT — Donations for the Carlson septuplets and their family have been pouring in since their historic birth on Monday, according to a family spokesperson at Sinai Hospital of Detroit.
Among the first companies to make donations was Johnson and Johnson, offering a lifetime supply of their products which include baby shampoo and lotion. In response to a challenge Governor Milliken made yesterday to Michigan corporations, Ford Motor Company has donated a van, and the A & P supermarket near the Carlsons' Westfield home has given the family vouchers. The Kimberly-Clark Corporation today offered a lifetime supply of Huggies disposable diapers.
In his statement, the governor also stated that the State of Michigan would purchase a new home for the family once a suitable house could be found. The Carlsons currently rent a two-bedroom house in Westfield.
Gifts from individual families also make up a significant part of the donations. A local bank has set up an account into which well-wishers may deposit money. They report an impressive turnout, though the family's representative declined to give a specific dollar amount. The donations have come from all over the country and around the world. Toys and baby clothing also make up a large part of the gifts the family has received.
The Carlsons received some gifts even before the children were born, when they were anticipating the birth of the nation's first sextuplets. An Italian family that had sextuplets two years ago sent six small teddy bears and a note that they would be praying for the Carlsons. The package had been sent by airmail and arrived two days after the septuplets' birth. A seventh bear sent by international two-day express mail followed the next day and included a letter in broken English expressing the Italian family's best wishes for all seven children.
Donations also seem to be increasing as the babies' prognoses improve. All of the septuplets except Baby A, Melissa, were in critical condition at birth, though all but two — Baby E, Molly, and Baby G, Megan — were upgraded within 24 hours. When the news of Molly's upgrade to serious condition was announced yesterday, a representative of the bank in charge of the septuplets' account said they experienced a spike in donations.
"It's as though people are being cautious and didn't want to get their hopes up at first," said Rebecca Armsworth, the family spokesperson. "Or maybe this news makes people realize that this family will likely have seven college tuition bills to pay one day."
The Detroit News is a trademark of its respective company. Used without permission. This article is fictional.
The Carlson Septuplets, characters, and stories © 1994-2006 by Jessie Mannisto.