In the spring of 1971, all Polish newspapers wrote about the wonderful children of the Rychert couple. The pilot and the salesgirl, who had already had two children, had five twins. This was the first recorded case in Poland and only the eighth in the world.
Leokadia and Bronislav were ordinary Poles. They lived poor, did not even have their own housing. 32-year-old couple with two children huddled in two rooms in a communal apartment.
Leocadia’s third pregnancy was without incident. Ultrasound of pregnant women was then performed only in extreme cases e.k. in the socialist countries of the 1970s such equipment was very rare and was installed only in large medical centers.
At the end of the pregnancy, the doctors assumed that Leocadia would have twins. What was the surprise of both physicians and the woman in labor, when the early birth date was not 2, and as many as 5 children. In 35 minutes, the woman gave birth to three boys and then two girls.
The first son weighed only 1,780 grams and it was the fattest of the little ones. The smallest weighed only 1,280 grams. The children were immediately placed in incubators. However, the hospital had only four units of this type of equipment, so the two smallest were put together in one incubator.
National news
The next day, journalists were crowding near the hospital. All the headlines of newspapers and all the TV channels told about unusual children.
There was so much noise around the Rychert family that the local mayor’s office provided a number of nurses and nurses, who helped care for the babies around the clock. The poor family was given a spacious house, which was built in pre-war times.
Enterprises producing furniture, toys, household appliances, baby food and other goods took the patronage of a large family. So in the new house they were renovated free of charge, furnished every room, installed appliances.
Everyone, who at least did something for the famous family, was sure to want to be photographed with the famous «fives» and give each of them some gifts. Soon parents began to notice that constant attention and endless handouts spoiled the children.
By the age of four, the two older twins had become aggressive and withdrawn, and they did not like the attention. But the three youngest kids were always cranky, asking the nanny to do whatever they wanted. Therefore, Leocadia and Bronislav stopped accepting gifts and refused photo shoots and interviews. They asked the journalists for peace and their lives flowed.
Adulthood
The next time, the twins were remembered after the collapse of the socialist camp. The then adult twins Rychert took part in the first democratic elections in Poland. This was the last TV story about them.
Last time the journalists remembered about «fives» in 2021, the year of their 50th anniversary. One of the newspapers had an extensive article about each of them, but without photos or personal details. This was the request of the heroes themselves.
The article said that the first and second brothers became, like their father, military officers. Both of them served in the Navy for many years. The third brother chose a similar profession. He still works in the police. The fourth child Agnieszka became a medical doctor, and her younger sister Eva became a teacher.
All «five» have a happy family life. All of them have children and some have grandchildren. Interestingly, none of the heirs were born twins anymore.