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3 women born hours apart have celebrated their birthdays together every year for 50 years

Their moms first met in the delivery room at Swedish Hospital 50 years ago, and they've been celebrating their birthday together ever since.
From left to right: Renee Holter, Laura Cliggott, and Amy Richards. Their mothers met in the delivery room 50 years ago, and they've been celebrating their birthday together ever since.

For the past 50 years, Amy Richards, Laura Cliggott, and Renee Holter have celebrated their birthday together. They've been together through many of life's milestones like weddings, babies and funerals. But these three women aren't related.

"We may not be sisters of blood, but they're my sisters," said Holter. "I can't explain it, they're just my sisters"

"We were all born at Swedish Hospital downtown," said Cliggott, who is the oldest of the three (but not by much, they'll argue).

"Our moms shared rooms and they got to know each other," said Richards, the youngest. "After that they started doing birthday parties every year, and we haven't missed a single year since."

Every past celebration and gift given has been documented, and every new celebration gives them the opportunity to take a walk down memory lane.

"We have so many pictures of us blowing out the candles," said Richards. "Then there's always the young ones where you're like, 'Why did I look that way?'"

"Teenage ones I could do without," Holter joked.

The girls say although their lives have taken different paths, they've managed to maintain a special bond by sharing these unique celebrations together.

"Even though we see each other once a year, I know I can go to these girls and talk to them about anything," said Holter. "And when we do get together it's like we haven't been apart."

Their birthdays are technically in January, but they sometimes celebrate late because coordinating their entire families' schedules proves to be difficult. But every year they make it happen, because they know being together is the best birthday gift of all.

"People sometimes forget what's important is the gift of time," said Holter. "Especially when you're with your loved ones. "

"I can't imagine not having these two in my life," Cliggott added.

For their 50th birthday, the group gathered at Anthony's in Des Moines. They shared a chocolate cake with chocolate shavings, an ode to a similar cake they shared decades ago. The girls laughed as they remembered impatiently picking off the shavings as kids, and they decided to do the same this year. They toasted to lifelong friendship while surrounded by their families, including two of their mothers who started the tradition 50 years ago.

"I just still can't believe they're 50!" laughed Judy Emmert, Cliggott's mother. "Whenever I tell people about it, they always say the same things: it's special and unique."

All three say they plan to continue to carry on the tradition, even if they make it to 100.

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