African Family Gives Birth to Baby With Blonde Hair and Blue Eyes

African Family Gives Birth to Baby With Blonde Hair and Blue Eyes
Jack Phillips
3/12/2016
Updated:
12/3/2017

Something extremely rare happened to a couple in London: A black mother and father conceived a “white” baby with blonde hair and blue eyes. Ben and Angela Ihegboro, originally from Nigeria, essentially beat incredible odds in giving birth to the girl, named Nmachi.

According to the BBC, there are three possible reasons for the occurrence. They are “dormant white genes which entered both of her parents’ families long ago, a genetic mutation unique to her, or albinism.”

“Contrary to reports, doctors at the London hospital where Nmachi was born say they have not ruled out this recessive disorder which affects skin pigmentation,” the BBC report stated.

The color of the skin is determined by about 12 different genes that control the pigment, or melanin, that’s produced, doctors have said.

“We are all of us genetic mixtures to some extent and occasionally you'll have a convergence of the pale versions of these genes in African Americans and African Caribbeans who have a mixed black and white ancestry,” Professor Bryan Sykes of the University of Oxford, England said in the report.

“But that doesn’t seem to be the case here. The parents are Nigerians with little known white ancestry at all.”

At the time, Angela said: “She’s a miracle baby. But still, what on Earth happened here?”

It was odd that “we had a blonde in a black family,” her husband said.  He added that he knows that “it’s my kid, but I don’t know why she’s blonde.”

News24 explained more:
He and Angela (35) were both stunned, he says. “We just sat there after the birth, staring at her and not saying anything. Eventually, the first thing I did was look at her and say, ‘What the flip?’. I was so shocked I even joked and asked, ‘Is she mine?’”
It’s a question many are asking but Ben is adamant there’s no reason to ask it. He believes Angela has been faithful and won’t entertain talk that Nmachi may not be his child. “Of course she’s mine,” he says. “My wife is true to me. Even if she hadn’t been the baby still wouldn’t look like that.”
Angela is also paying no mind to talk of infidelity. She’s just delighted her baby is healthy despite her unusual appearance. “She’s beautiful,” the proud mom says. “She is a miracle baby.”
Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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