After having three miscarriages, Diane Calcaterra walked into her gynecologist’s office worried. A healthy birth was risky as Diane had chosen to conceive through artificial insemination, and the odds of just one child living could not be guaranteed. With a stethoscope to her belly, the doctor told Diane he heard a heartbeat. Wait, scratch that – three heartbeats.

Sophomores Andrew, Claire and Grant Calcaterra were born on Dec. 4, 1998, all weighing under four pounds. They survived birth but faced various health problems.

Andrew, the oldest of the triplets, was born with a ventricular septal defect, a hole in his heart, and was in an intensive care unit (ICU) for 15 days. Claire, the only girl, had a full blood transfusion and was in an ICU for 11 days. Grant, the youngest and biggest, had to have surgery to remove three hernias and was in an ICU for 10 days.

While the triplets do not remember these problems today, Diane was there to witness each hardship. But this troublesome trio wreaked havoc far before birth.

“I was on bed rest for 20 weeks,” Diane said. “When you looked at me I was very thin and then there was my belly which was abnormally large.”

Diane’s motherly influence played a major role in each triplets’ personality development.

“People think they should all be the same and they’re not,” Diane said.

By putting each triplet into different sport, Diane was able to develop each child to suit their different environments. Being the same age with different personalities meant disagreements; Andrew, however, always seemed to be more mature. This became the driving force behind his high academic GPA and competitive involvement in athletics.

“[Andrew] is really smart and I get jealous of how easy he makes [school] look,” Claire said. “He’s also the captain of the JV basketball team.”

Claire also excels in her academics, but she really shines on the SMCHS varsity soccer team. Claire started by playing in her brothers’ games and eventually progressed into playing for the All American Soccer Club when she was 5.

“[Soccer] has opened up so many opportunities for me college wise and friend wise,” Claire said. “It has showed me more about myself which created my love for the game.”

Andrew and Claire began their respective sport as kids and have remained to do so as high school students at SMCHS. Grant, the biggest of the three, excelled in a wide range of sports.

“[Grant] is really athletic,” Andrew said. “He played lacrosse, football and now basketball with me.”

As a freshman, Grant chose to stop lacrosse in order to focus on football. He began playing for the SMCHS  varsity team as a wide receiver this year, as a sophomore. Despite his talent for adapting to athletics, Grant remains down to earth.

“[Grant’s] humble though because he’s an amazing athlete and he doesn’t get cocky which I admire,” Claire said.

Being amazing athletes enables the triplets to find a common understanding. Although disagreements do occur, they remain supportive of each other through difficult times.

“Whenever I’m sad they will walk into my room,” Claire said. “I haven’t seen them all day, but they know something’s wrong.”

The three turn to each other to vent their stress whether it be about school or friends.

“It’s interesting because we all have the same friend group,” Claire said. “Since they’re guys I always hear both sides to a story. It’s not just my perspective on the situation.”

Fights between siblings have also changed as Andrew cannot always be there to separate Claire and Grant from their small brawls. But the two have also learned to outgrow their childish ways.

“We yell at each other and then an hour later it’s like nothing happened or we feel bad and end up apologizing,” Claire said.

Through issues experienced together in and out of the womb, the triplets have bonded in ways most siblings cannot understand. Developing from preemie babies with serious health issues, the triplets were fortunate to grow up as best friends.

“I’m proud of them because of the type of people they have become through everything,” Diane said. “They are kind, considerate and driven to pursue their dreams no matter what may stand in their way.”