Nadya Denise Doud-Suleman became famous after she gave birth to octuplets - that's eight babies that grew in her womb simultaneously - in January 2009.
But this unique woman's story doesn't start and end with those eight children.
Nadya's life is full of surprising twists and turns, and its unlikely events seem even more fantastic when you realize they've all happened to the same person - over a short period of time.
Image by @nataliesuleman / Instagram
So, what can possibly be more amazing than giving birth to octuplets? And how are Nadya and the kids doing these days? Read on to find out.
An Only Child
Nadya Suleman was born Natalie Denise Suleman in Fullerton, California, on July 11, 1975, an only daughter to her Iraqi father and Lithuanian mother.
Young Denise was raised an only child, but since a very young age she felt she would want to be a mother and have a big family and many children of her own.
Image by @nataliesuleman / Instagram
This young girl's wish would come true, after a fashion, but no one could foresee just how big of a family she'd end up having.
Holding On to the Dream
Nadya's - then Natalie - dream of a big family didn't let up as she grew older, and as soon as she graduated from high school, she felt she was ready to become a mother.
She was also planning on going to college, but that didn't feel to her like it conflicted with her desire to start a family.
Image by @nataliesuleman / Instagram
It would be a while before she'd be able to realize this dream, but once she finally did, it would snowball beyond what anyone could have foreseen, Nadya included.
Falling in Love
In her early twenties, while Nadya was still in college, she met Marcos Gutierrez, a produce manager at a local supermarket.
The two felt a strong connection from the start, and went on to fall in love.
Nadya, of course, spoke with him about her desire for a big family from the get go - a desire Gutierrez shared as well.
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Sadly, a big family wasn't in Nadya and Marcos' cards, and soon, a big rift would form between the two.
Mental Health
1996 wasn't just the year in which Nadya got married - it was also the year in which she earned her psychiatric technician license at Mt. San Antonio College. Following her graduation, Nadya started working at the Metropolitan State Hospital - a psychiatric facility located in Norwalk, California, not far from her home.
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And while working in mental health can be immensely rewarding, for Nadya, the experience would prove more traumatic than she could have ever anticipated.
The Injury
On the morning of September 18, 1999, Nadya Suleman went to work, just like she did every other morning. Little did she know that that day would change her life forever.
Around noon, about twenty of the patients hospitalized at the facility started a riot - and Nadya dutifully intervened. In the resulting chaos, one of the patients flipped a wooden desk over, striking Nadya's back with it.
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As a result, Nadya suffered a severe herniated disc injury, which forced her to leave work. She received around $170,000 as compensation, which allowed her to get by for a while, but she would carry the injury with her for the rest of her life.
Insult to Injury
Following her injury, Nadia suffered quite a bit of emotional and physical distress - but that was nothing compared to the frustration and anxiety she was feeling in her marriage.
Since they got married, Nadia and Marcos were trying to conceive - but no matter how hard they tried, Nadia was simply unable to get pregnant.
Image by Mediapunch/Shutterstock (1617442b)
The issue became so pressing, that they decided to go to a doctor in order to find out what was going on.
