Mom Gave Birth To Triplet Daughters & Put 2 Up For Adoption Before They Reunited Years Later And Formed Close Bond

Aug 01, 2023

In 1991, Kathleen Jump, who was 35 at the time, realized she wanted kids, although it was clear her husband, Lee Jump, could not have any. However, the couple put up a united front and underwent a fertility process that helped Kathleen to become pregnant. Kathleen, who worked as a United States Postal Service officer, got her desire, but the turn of events altered the cause of their lives for the next three decades.

During her pregnancy, Kathleen discovered she was expecting triplets, and the harsh reality dawned on her. She worked as a mail carrier, and her spouse was a truck driver. Although it was a two-income household, the pair knew raising three babies would bore a big hole in their finances. After the kids were born, the couple gave up two for adoption. However, as fate would have it, the triplets reunited many years later. In a July 27, 2023 interview with Hoda Kotb, and Savannah Guthrie, the sisters recounted their life story. 

When Kathleen married Lee, he was a dad to two grown kids from a previous marriage and did not think he wanted more children. However, years into their union, Kathleen knew she wanted a child. Lee previously underwent a vasectomy, and there was no way he could impregnate her. Speaking to Today, Kathleen noted that he reluctantly agreed to support her for an IUI process. 

This meant injecting sperm from a donor directly into the womb. Kathleen became pregnant, and at 28 weeks, an ultrasound confirmed that she was expecting three babies. The devastated mom-to-be knew she and her spouse could not cater to three children, and after their birth, she gave two of them up for adoption. Kathleen had three daughters — Kendall, Julianne and Rikki. 

The Colorado mom decided to keep Rikki, believing that Julianne and Kendall belonged together. This was because Kendall and Rikki were initially breached, but Kendall turned to join Julianne before birth. Ultimately, the two children were adopted by Fort Collins couple Ken and Tina Scavo.  

Kathleen and her family lived in Fort Lupton, 40 minutes from where Tina and Ken lived. And so it was that the triplets separated at birth and lived in proximity but did not see each other for years. Rikki knew about her sisters, but the other girls did not know about her. 

Speaking to Kotb and Guthrie, they recalled how their parents told them about their sister. The sisters shared that they were shown a photo of Rikki, and later they connected by sending letters back and forth, at first. When Rikki was 10, Lee passed away, forcing Kathleen to move to Missouri. However, before relocating, she asked to see her sisters. At 11, the triplets met for the first time at a shopping mall. Rikki recalled this:

"We met at a shopping mall in Colorado, and it was totally anticlimactic … I mean we were all super anxious before we got there, but then it was normal … They felt so familiar."

Julianne and Kendall remained in Colorado. However, their bond did not waver. The siblings spent summer holidays together, and finally, as adults, they fixed the distance. Rikki reflected on this: 

"I know we will never have the relationship that we would have had if we had been raised together. But that's OK. We have each other now."

The triplets, who had to live apart during the early years of their lives, now live together in Austin, Texas, and co-host a podcast, "Luke, Who is Your Father." They have also actively improved their sisterly bond. 

Isn't it heartwarming that the triplets reunited despite the circumstances that made them live separately? Do you have a distant family member you have always desired to meet? What are your thoughts on a reunion? Let us know, and be sure to pass this on to others.