When Judith Nwokocha gave birth to twins in 2016, she was overcome with disbelief. As a first-time mother, she had dreamed of the moment she would meet her babies—but nothing could have prepared her for what she saw.
Her son, Kamsi, was born with a rich brown complexion like hers. But her daughter, Kachi, had strikingly white skin and golden hair. Kachi was born with albinism, a rare genetic condition that affects pigmentation. For a moment, Judith questioned whether there had been a mix-up in the delivery room.
But as the nurses placed both infants on her chest, her confusion gave way to something deeper—an overwhelming wave of love. “In that moment, none of it mattered,” Judith recalls. “They were both mine.”
Originally from Nigeria, Judith had grown up aware of the stigma and discrimination often faced by people with albinism, particularly in parts of Africa. Fears for Kachi’s future quickly followed her initial joy. “I worried about how society would treat her,” she says. “The thought of her suffering because of how she looked was heartbreaking.”
Now raising her family in Calgary, Canada, Judith says their journey has had its challenges, but it has been filled with far more compassion than cruelty. The twins, now thriving, are inseparable and fiercely protective of each other. Their bond transcends appearance, and to them, being different is simply part of their story.
“When they ask why they don’t look alike, I tell them God made them special,” Judith says.
She admits there was a time she wished Kachi looked more like her brother. But that feeling has long since faded. Today, she says she wouldn’t change a single thing about either of her children.
“I look at them now,” she says, “and I just feel lucky.”