In February 3 years ago, when this Nigerian mother of 31 went into labor, she had no idea what she was about to experience. She can now easily tell her identical twin sons apart. Even though they were only minutes apart at birth, Daniel and David look nothing similar.
Both of Stacy and Babajide's children, who are black and reside in Lagos, are albinos. Due to their distinct appearances, the adorable twins consistently capture attention wherever they go. Daniel resembles his 5-year-old big sister Demilade, with dark skin and black curly hair, while David is remarkably fair-skinned with pale skin and golden locks. Stacy chose to document the unique antics of the twins on Instagram, and within just a year, the twins had amassed nearly 18,000 followers.
Birth of the twins on February 26 of last year came as a complete shock to everyone.
“We did not know about their differences while I was pregnant, the scan did not show such so it was a huge surprise and the most amazing moment when the first twin (Daniel) came out with black hair and the second twin (David) came out with gold hair. I had them through CS, so the doctors were like: “It seems you are having totally unidentical twins.” Before I knew it, nurses started coming out to look at them,” mum of three, Stacy, told Bored Panda.
One of the twins was black and the other was white, so it was impossible to tell them apart.
Stacy’s husband’s response to this turn of events is touching, and she shared it with us.
“Their dad was really overwhelmed and immediately named My Twin 2 (David) ‘Golden,’ so he fondly calls him Mr. Golden. He was all overjoyed seeing his boys. He stood for more than 10 minutes staring at them and said he was just looking at God’s wonderful work and that they are his best gift ever.”
Distinguishing between the twins proved impossible, as one was black and the other was white. Stacy's husband responded to this unexpected turn of events in a touching manner, and she shared his sentiments: "Their dad was truly overwhelmed and promptly named My Twin 2 (David) 'Golden,' affectionately calling him Mr. Golden. He was brimming with joy as he looked at his boys. He stood there for more than 10 minutes, gazing at them, and said he was simply marveling at God's incredible work and that they are his most precious gift ever."
There are more than two million confirmed or suspected albinos in Nigeria, making it one of the countries with the highest prevalence of the disorder in the world. The numbers don’t lie, though; this community still experiences significant bias due to its members’ skin tone. Over 600,000 albino Nigerians are subjected to prejudice and bullying from their peers, families, and communities, which often leads to economic hardship and educational failure.
Stacy did say that nobody has ever said anything bad to her about her two sons, and that they are both loved equally and unconditionally.
“There’re always side talks whenever we go out, people often wanna know how and what’s happening and maybe due to their cute and adorable nature, you just wanna come close to say hello.”
Due to the twins' extraordinary appearance, their family has received modeling offers from agencies in the United Kingdom. The family created an Instagram account to share their joy and shed light on important issues. They eagerly embrace any opportunities that come their way. To raise awareness, Stacy and I decided to create an account for them, as we believe they have a compelling narrative to share.
“They have two different amazing personalities, they are a year+ now, walking and very playful,” said Stacy“Daniel is more expressive while David is an observer. Both of them are highly inquisitive. Daniel is a foodie while David is quite picky; Daniel is extremely playful while David chooses moments; Daniel always likes to play the bigger brother role; they are both energetic.”
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