A Nigerian couple living in London, UK, had a girl in 2010 who was nothing like they thought she would be. The Ihegboro family was shocked when their third child, Nmachi, was born with blonde hair and blue eyes. They already had two children.
The parents were shocked by how different their daughter looked, and they couldn’t help but wonder what had caused it. Angela said, “She’s a miracle baby!” Ben said, “The first thing I thought was, ‘What the flip?'” We both just stared at her for a long time after the birth and didn’t say a word.
Doctors were also confused by Nmachi’s looks, and they came up with a number of ideas about why she looked so different from her parents. Nmachi might have been caused by a rare gene trait that could be passed on to her children one day. Another idea said that Nmachi’s looks might come from genes that have been dormant for a long time and were passed down from her relatives.
A third option was that Nmachi had a form of albinism that had been changed, which could make her skin get darker over time. Nmachi didn’t look like most albino kids Ben had seen in Nigeria or in books, though, Ben said right away. “She just looks like a healthy white baby,” he noted.
The Ihegboros were shocked and confused at first, but they now love their miracle child and are thankful for the special gift she has brought to their family.
