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RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — Patricia Frustaci, a Southern California woman who made national headlines in 1985 when she gave birth to seven children, has died. She was 63.
Her eldest son, Joseph Frustaci, says his mother died Saturday in San Diego. She had suffered from pulmonary fibrosis.
Frustaci, a teacher in Riverside, had septuplets after undergoing fertility treatments. At the time, it was the largest multiple birth in the United States.
The babies were born 12 weeks prematurely. One was stillborn, and three died within weeks.
Medical expenses soon topped $1 million. The family sued the fertility clinic and a doctor, alleging negligence led to health problems for the three surviving children.
The clinic later settled the lawsuit.
Frustaci is survived by six children, including the three survivors of the septuplets, and five grandchildren.
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