Kitchener-Waterloo's first set of surviving triplets turn 84

The Vogt triplets have made headlines from the day they were born and another birthday means another headline.

Introduced to the world on June 29th, 1939 at K-W Hospital (now Grand River Hospital), Jean, Edith and Edna were hailed as the first set of surviving triplets born in Kitchener-Waterloo.

It was almost unheard of in an era before fertility drugs. At the time, the Kitchener Daily Record reported the phenomenon of triplets happened only once every 7,500 births. The sisters became somewhat of a spectacle around town.

"Someone would come and be looking at me and I'd have no idea who they were. I didn't acknowledge them or anything. Edna ran from where she was over here so she could say 'it's OK, I'm Edna, that's my sister Edith," said Edith.

Jean is fraternal, while Edith and Edna are identical. Jean only arrived five minutes before Edith, but she has always acted like the oldest.

"Like if we were going to a show, I had the purse with the money in it," said Jean.

"And I'd lose it," said Edith, who chimed in.

As they celebrated their 84th birthdays on June 29, Edna is faced with some health complications and now lives at the Court At Laurelwood Retirement Residence in Waterloo. Through it all, Jean has maintained her 'older sister mentality.'

"She looks after me. She gets anything I need at the groceries," said Edna.

Over the years, the sisters' bond has only gotten stronger.

"The older we get, I think the closer we become," said Edna.

As they mark another year together, the Twin City sisters appreciate each birthday more than the last, knowing the odds were stacked against them from birth. They were premature, underweight and healthcare capabilities were not on their side.

"Mom always said that she wanted us to know that we wouldn't make our 50th birthday because we were different," said Edith.

They've now had 34 birthdays beyond that milestone – exceeding expectations from the very beginning.

Editor’s note: The triplets want to give a special shout out to their older sister Ruth, who turns 90 in August.