The 38-year-old Nigerian-born photographer from Calgary fell pregnant with her husband through IVF and later discovered that she was actually pregnant with twins.
She was warned her baby may have Down syndrome as the pregnancy progressed and one of her babies fell behind in growth.
Judith was induced at 37 weeks and her twins were delivered via caesarean section.
Kamsi, her baby boy, weighed 6.1 lbs., but Kachi, her daughter, weighed 312 lbs. Understandably, she was concerned.
In addition, she was concerned about her daughter’s albinism, which affects melanin, the pigment responsible for skin, hair, and eyes.
Judith was shocked at first to see her beautiful babies and initially thought she had been given the wrong baby.
The first time I saw her, I wondered whether it was my baby or if it was someone else’s. I waited for someone to tell me there had been a mix up, but all I heard was how beautiful she was.
While she was carrying her daughter, Judith was concerned about her growth rate, but she never imagined she would give birth to a white child.
Judith wrote, “I was quite surprised at how white she was.” A few days after the twins were born, doctors diagnosed Kachi with albinism.
After learning that Kachi would be visually impaired for the rest of her life, the mom of two was initially concerned for Kachi and how others would respond to her.
She wrote in an essay for Love What Matters, “I loved my princess as any mother would love her child, but I worried about her condition.”
Worry eventually turned to sadness, and I began to question God about why he had put me in such a situation. I was worried about her future, how society would treat her, how she would be accepted…
I envied other black babies and wondered,
Is there any reason for me?’ Why did I have an albino child? How did I have black and white twins?”‘
The couple even sought counseling for Kachi’s condition, and by the time the twins were one, Judith was able to see past the negativity.
My eyes were drawn to her golden hair, her brown eyes, her pink lips, and everything about her.
“Every time I took them out, I noticed how attractive she was. People admired her a lot. She is usually the one who gets all the attention.”
Like all twins, the brother and sister share a special bond and do not notice anything different.
Judith says she is working on always reminding her daughter how special she is.
“I always tell her how beautiful she is, because she is really beautiful. “I wouldn’t trade her condition for a million dollars. She’s perfect to me in every way,” she said.
Albinism may have its challenges, but I’m teaching her to be strong and overcome anything that may come her way. I am constantly taking pictures of her and her twin brother to show the beauty of albinism.
“I’m not sure she’s aware of her uniqueness at the moment, but she will eventually realize it, and it’s my responsibility to teach her to love herself no matter what.”
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