Family has 6 albino children: an unequalled record
Not everyone is able to define themselves as "normal" easily in today's society where more and more people are ready to judge and point fingers at "those who are different". Naseem Akhtar's family knows what it means to be discriminated against for one's appearance and to have everyone's judgmental eyes on them. Today, this family has made diversity its' strength, and have even been recorded in the Guinness Book of Records. The reason? Naseem has 5 brothers and sisters, all suffering from albinism. Albinism is a rare genetic condition, appearing very infrequently in the world, and which is why the family from Coventry (UK) have broken all records in this regard.
Albinism involves a lack or congenital diminuation of melanin in the skin, hair and eyes; approximately only 1 in 17,000 people born are affected by albinism, demonstrating how rare this genetic condition is. So, how likely was it that 6 brothers and sisters born to a single family would share this hereditary disease? The parents, of course, are also albinos.
Naseem, Ghulam, Haider, Muqadas, Musarat and Mohammed are brothers and sisters of Pakistani descent living in Coventry, England. Their family would already be quite unique in its own right given that, in total in their family line, there are as many as 15 members affected by albinism. A truly unique case that is exceptionally rare!
The Akhtar family entered the Guinness Book of World Records, after the mother sent them the details of their family's uniqueness: "We are a unique family" commented the woman, "I think it is important to become part of history in this way. I always believed that something good would happen. It is important to fulfill your dreams, be proud of yourself and love yourself for who you are. "
The mother of these brothers and sisters stressed how important it is to raise awareness about diversity, despite the fact that nowadays there are more and more means by which to explore this topic: "We are all unique and amazing, no matter if we have a disability. We lived in constant fear that people will always have something negative to say and to criticize, but you don't have to listen to them." This is the most important message the family has for us - we all need to learn how to be tolerant of others!
