Three years ago in February, Stacy, a 31-year-old Nigerian mother from Lagos, gave birth to identical twin boys, Daniel and David, who look very different because David has albinism. Daniel has dark skin and black curly hair, resembling their 5-year-old sister Demilade, while David has pale skin and golden curls, which surprised everyone at birth.
The parents didn’t know about the difference during pregnancy as the scans didn’t reveal it. When Daniel was born first with dark hair, and then David with golden hair, doctors thought they might not be identical twins. Nurses came out to see the rare sight. Stacy’s husband was overwhelmed and lovingly nicknamed David “Mr. Golden.”
David has oculocutaneous albinism, a rare hereditary condition affecting skin, hair, and eyes, occurring in about 1 in 20,000 births. Fortunately, David has no health problems so far. Nigeria has one of the highest numbers of people with albinism in the world—over two million—with many facing prejudice and discrimination.
Despite this, Stacy says her sons are loved equally and unconditionally. People often ask questions when they see the twins, attracted by their unique appearances and charming personalities. The family has gained almost 18,000 followers on Instagram, where Stacy shares their life to raise awareness about albinism.
The twins have different personalities: Daniel is playful, expressive, and loves food, while David is quieter, more observant, and picky. Both are curious and energetic. Their family has even received modeling offers from UK agencies, highlighting the twins’ unique charm.
Stacy and her husband treasure their boys as a blessing and use their story to educate others and combat stigma around albinism.
