The Durrant family, a six-person unit that is not only attractive but has overcome some incredible odds, is something to behold when seen as a whole.
In 2001, Alison Spooner and Dean Durrant had their first set of twins, who immediately captured everyone’s attention.
The unpredictability of life on this planet is arguably its most amazing feature.
The unexpected can certainly be distressing or even painful at times, but there are also many situations when we’re pleasantly delighted by something we didn’t anticipate to happen.
Dean Durrant and Alison Spooner appear to be a typical couple from the outside, yet it turns out that their genes are very unique. This is demonstrated by the miracle that resulted in not only one pair of identical twins, but two…
Hayleigh and Lauren Durrant, who are black and white twins, proudly cradle their baby sisters Leah and Miya, who, amazingly, are also…Posted on Wednesday, April 8, 2015 by Talking Babies
Hayleigh and Lauren Durrant, twin sisters from Hampshire in England, were born in 2001 with various skin tones. The white twin resembled their mother, while the black twin resembled their father.
When Alison and Dean initially learned they were expecting twins, they thought the children would be like them both. However, Alison’s parents received a surprise after Laura and Hayleigh were born in 2001.
While Laura’s twin sister had largely taken after her father, Laura had inherited her mother’s fair skin, blue eyes, and red hair.
Naturally, Alison and Dean’s relatives and friends were shocked. The phenomenon is extremely unusual, yet it does occasionally occur.
Growing up wasn’t always easy as their parents had to field questions about how this could have happened and comments of disbelief, and then the girls would face questions from their friends at school.
On the twins’ 18th birthday in 2019, Hayleigh, who has dark skin and hair like her dad Dean, stated they weren’t always accepted.
“Some people can be really rude. They’ll say, ‘You’re lying, you aren’t twins – prove it!’ So we’ll reel off the same address or pull our passports out. It’s nice to see the shock on people’s faces.
“When we went to college it was difficult because there were lots of groups of Asian, white and black kids. The black group were trying to integrate me and I was like, ‘This is my white twin sister.’ No one could believe it. People look at us like it’s some kind of miracle. I’m still amazed that we are twins.”
Meanwhile, Lauren, who has her mother’s green eyes and fair hair, said, “People just assume we’re best friends rather than sisters, let alone twins.
“I’m happy with that because she is my best friend.”
There is a 1 in 500 chance that twins born to multiracial parents will have distinct skin tones.
After only seven years, Alison discovered she was expecting twins once more! When Laura and Hayleigh aged 7, their mother gave birth to another set of identical twin sisters, and the family once more made headlines.
This time, when the babies were discovered to be in the breech position, Alison was induced at 37 weeks. Due to breathing issues, the newborns had to be sent to intensive care right away, depriving Alison and Dean of the opportunity to spend quality time with them.
But when parents could finally see their newborns, they understood that they had overcome yet another obstacle. Another set of miraculous biracial twins was born!
In addition to having distinct skin tones, the daughters, Leah and Miya, made their family the only one in the world to have two sets of multiracial twins.The family of records quickly made it to the Guinness World Records.
Even non-identical twins are uncommon, Dr. Sarah Jarvis of the Royal College of General Practitioners told CBS News.
“To have two eggs fertilized and come out different colors less common so to have it happen twice must be one in millions,” she added.
“I’m almost blown away as the rest of them, there’s no easy way to explain it all,” proud dad Dean told CBS News. “I’m still in shock myself even though the first ones were 7 years ago, it’s amazing.”
Their two older sisters, who have been able to help them navigate the difficulties, assist Leah and Miya.
“The younger ones idolise the older ones and are always copying them. It’s like having two Mini-Mes,” said their father.
“They are best friends and close in every way, apart from looking different. It took me some years to understand the science of how they could appear so different,” their mom added.
Leah shared: “Lauren and Hayleigh are my heroes. I like my older sisters. We want to be like them when we are grown-up.”
Despite their physical disparities, the girls remarked that they are similar in many respects and that they are fortunate to have each other.
Hayleigh explained: “We say the same things at the same time and finish each other’s sentences. Sometimes I know exactly what she is thinking.”
People are just learning the brutal reason why you should never declaw your cats
Even though it could be better for your couch, that might not be the best thing for your cat.
Declawing is defined as “the amputation of the last bone of each toe on a cat’s paw” by The Humane Society of the United States, and that definition alone should dissuade you from engaging in the procedure.
Our animal buddies endure great anguish during declawing, as the society compared it to chopping off your finger at the last knuckle.
They continued, giving an explanation: “Using a scalpel or guillotine clipper, amputation is the usual way of declawing. The feet are wrapped, and the incisions are sealed with surgical glue or stitches.”
Recently, the declawing debate has spread to Twitter, largely due to the popular account “non aesthetic things.”
The user wrote, “This is why you shouldn’t declaw your cat,” and included a video that showed what happens to cats who are declawed.
Basically, declawing causes the last bone on a cat’s toes to be severed and removed. This impacts the tendons and ligaments and eliminates the claw entirely.
Cats may feel “extreme pain” when they learn to walk on what are essentially amputated toes, but they do heal eventually.
The movie described how this causes cats to struggle with walking, jumping, and balance, which would ultimately cause them to exhaust their nine lives.
Even in the long run, defewing can have negative effects like arthritis, persistent pain, and limited mobility.
Oh, poor infants.
Many people have flocked to the Twitter video’s comments section, where many have only recently discovered the grim reality of declawing.
One member said, “So declawing your cat is just removing parts of their feet wth.”
One person wrote, “literally, take off our very last finger bone that we literally use to type,” another wrote, “It’s absurd to think that a significant portion of people in the US declaw their cats.” A third person wrote, ” To be honest, I’ve never heard of this outside of the United States.”
Four people said, “Declawing should be banned everywhere, it’s just inhumane!” in the meantime.
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