- While a person having albinism is unique, a set of twins with albinism is even more rare
- Twins with albinism, Megan and Mikayla, are spreading awareness on their social media channels
- They receive such positive feedback from their growing audience
Here Megan shares her story in her own words.
Running around the playground with my twin Mikayla, we then sat down to have lunch.
Aged six, as we munched our sandwiches, I couldn’t help but notice the sea of children staring.
Why are they looking at us funny? I wondered.
‘Are you both adopted?’ some kids teased.
‘It’s not polite to stare and whisper,’ Mikayla, my rock, said. She always stood up for us.
In kindergarten, it was the first time I truly realised that my twin and I were different from others.
‘We lack melanin pigment in our skin, eyes and hair.’
Born with albinism, a genetic condition, we lack melanin pigment in our skin as well as in our eyes and hair. As melanin also plays a role in eye function, our vision was also impaired.
Our mum ShaLella gave birth to us in October 1998.
Mum, an African American, had gorgeous dark skin, just like our dad and our baby sister Hannah.
But despite looking different to them and our uncles, aunties and cousins with our alabaster skin and white locks, Mikayla and I had never felt singled out like this.
In fact, every morning Mum had us look in a mirror and repeat, ‘I’m strong, I’m smart – we can do anything we set our minds to.’
‘You’re both so beautiful,’ Mum told us all the time.
So now being stared at like we were in a zoo was a rude shock.
‘Your mum probably cheated on your dad,’ the cruel kids mocked.
It was heartbreaking to hear such ugly nonsense.
Mum insisted our albinism made us special. And she was right! While roughly one in 20,000 babies are born with albinism around the world each year, twins with albinism are even rarer.
No matter what, Mikayla and I always had each other’s backs.
‘People stared as we walked down the street.’
Mum had us wear long sleeves, glasses and hats outside and hold umbrellas to shield our pale sensitive skin from the sun.
When we walked down the streets, people stared.
While many were nice and asked questions, some people took photos of us without our permission.
‘We can get through this,’ Mikayla and I told each other on bad days.
On weekends, Mikayla and I loved cooking and baking. Under Mum’s watchful eye, we’d make all sorts of delicious treats and dishes, like omelettes, cupcakes and cookies.
With our poor eyesight, we’d have to get up close to the dial on the oven to make sure we had the correct temperature.
‘Our little chefs!’ Mum chuckled.
By the time we were in our teens, we really came into our own. We made an amazing group of friends at school who accepted us for who we were.
Mikayla and I were thick as thieves. We loved the same subjects and both enjoyed cheerleading.
‘You’re my best friend, forever,’ I smiled.
‘We’re two peas in a pod!’
Even though we now had other friends – and finally started to have fun at school – there were still tough times, but we’d always get through them as our little team of two.
After finishing school, we both went on to study at university. I completed a degree in culinary arts with a focus on nutrition, while Mikayla earned an associate in culinary arts with a focus on baking and pastry.
‘We’re two peas in a pod!’ I giggled.
‘We’ll always love our food,’ Mikayla agreed.
After saving up enough money to move out, we left home and moved into a two-bedroom apartment together in December 2020, when we were 22. By then Mum had given birth to our beautiful sister Avery.
Mikayla and I love playing hosts, and use any and every occasion to invite people over for yummy food. Mum, Hannah, now 21, and little Avery, five, often come by for Sunday dinner too.
About a year ago, after seeing an opportunity to have fun online and spread awareness about albinism, we quit our jobs – Mikayla as a waitress and me as a prep cook – and we’re now full-time online content creators!
Taking to TikTok and Instagram, we upload funny videos of us sharing relatable moments, our family values, and our dance moves – under our account @mikayla_megan.
Far from shying away from people’s gazes like when we were little, we now love to show off our distinctive appearances. Being different is beautiful.
Our followers always leave us such kind comments too.
You’re wonderfully made, one person recently said. You’re gorgeous, others have echoed.
Now that other people can see us the way we see ourselves, life really does feel full circle. We’re beautiful inside and out.
What is albinism?
An inherited condition that leads to someone having very light skin, hair, and eyes albinism occurs when someone has less melanin in their body. Melanin gives skin, hair, and eyes their color. The condition can cause issues with eyesight.
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