Virginia and Catalina are two albino girls from Argentina who became viral on social media when they were born four years ago.
In 2018 Jorge Gomez and his wife received the good news that they were going to become parents to two twin baby girls. The couple already had a son and became ecstatic when the doctors told them they were expecting twin girls.
According to Gomez, the pregnancy was completely normal, and his wife used to visit her doctor regularly.
“When they gave us the news that we would have two babies, it gave us a lot of happiness, and when they were born, and we saw that they were albinos that happiness did not change at all. For us it is a blessing,” he told a local news outlet.
The father-of-three said that there were no complications and everything went smoothly. However, in the 36th week, doctors told him that they had to deliver the babies immediately.
So, the girls were born prematurely in the 36th week. But they were healthy and weighed normal. Catalina was born two minutes earlier than Virginia. They both weighed 5.95 lbs and 5.5 lbs, respectively.
The unusual thing about the newborn girls was their milky white hair. Gomez and his wife didn’t see any kid like that before in their lives, nor did anyone else.
So, the girls became an overnight sensation in Argentina in 2018 and made headlines in many media outlets and newspapers.
The pictures of them went all over the internet, and people were amazed to see two small girls born with snow-white hair.
According to LV12, the twins were born with a rare genetic disorder, albinism in which there is a lack of pigmentation in the skin.
People with albinism do not have enough melanin pigment in their skin and are born with either white or blonde hair. This condition also affects their coloring and eyesight. Some babies even have ginger hair, depending on the amount of melanin in their skin.
Catalina and Virginia were the first-ever kids born with albinism in Argentina. Their rare condition made them popular in the country.
“When they gave us the news that we would have two babies, it gave us a lot of happiness, and when they were born, and we saw that they were albinos, that happiness did not change at all,” Jorge Gomez told LV12.
He said he felt super blessed to be their father and never once thought that they were different from other kids or something was wrong with them.
“There were some precautions that we as parents had to bear in mind. For example, the girls are extremely sensitive to UV rays, which affect their skin and can cause sunburn and even cancer in a worst-case scenario,” said Gomez.
“So, we have to be extra cautious all the time and make sure that they are not going in the sunlight and are well protected from extreme weather conditions, especially hot weather.”
The twins are now four years old and look even more beautiful as they are growing up.
Ron Howard calls wife ‘good luck charm,’ shares secret to 49-year marriage
“Remember how we always said, ‘You can do it if you want, but you don’t have to?’ Well if you start this, you can’t quit’,” said Howard, recalling a conversation he had with his parents decades before. “You don’t have to do other parts on other shows, if you don’t want, but you’d have to keep doing this one.”
Explaining that he understood the message his parents were delivering, Howard adds, “I think it was pretty clear at that point that I was enjoying it, and I was good at it.”
Actually, he was great at it, and he was about to reach a level of stratospheric stardom.
Howard’s ‘Happy Days’
While starring in The Andy Griffith Show, Howard also appeared on the big screen in 1962’s The Music Man, a musical film that was a huge commercial success.
A natural talent, he then starred in 1973’s American Graffiti, which also starred Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfuss and Cindy Williams, whom he would work alongside in the future.
It was in 1974 when he was cast as Richie Cunningham in a new series created by Garry Marshall called Happy Days, which appeared on TV screens in homes across the world from 1974 to 1984.
The TV show spawned a few popular spin-offs like Laverne & Shirley, starring Williams and Marshall’s sister Penny, and Mork & Mindy with Robin Williams as Mork, the favorite Orkan.
High school sweetheart
It was in 1970 – before he won a Golden Globe for his performance as the innocent teenager on Happy Days – that Howard met the high school sweetheart, Cheryl Alley, whom he would marry in 1975.
“I met her, and there was never anybody else,” Speaking with People, the director of the Da Vinci Code continued, “She’s unbelievably supportive and always has been. Our compatibility has endured through all kinds of experiences.”
After 50 years of shared experiences, Howard, who earned an Oscar for directing A Beautiful Mind, commemorated the 50th anniversary of his first date with Cheryl on Instagram.
“Nov 1 1970 Cheryl & I went on our 1st date,” he wrote alongside a photo of himself wearing socks with images of Cheryl’s face. “We went to see a re-release of Stanley Kramer’s It’s a Mad Mad Mad World and then got some pizza at now defunct Barnone’s in Toluca Lake. Quite a start, right?”
He also shared their plans that day, “We’ll be driving in the same ‘70 VW Bug I picked Cheryl up in 5 decades ago. It runs great. So do we.”
His ‘good luck charm’
Cheryl made several cameos in Howard’s projects and even played herself on the TV comedy series Arrested Development, produced and narrated by Howard.
Speaking with the Television Academy, Ron called Cheryl his “good luck charm,” and explained that is why she appears in every film he makes.
“At a certain point, I became very superstitious about making sure that she appears, that she’s at least identifiable in one frame,” he said. “They don’t have to be big cameos, but she’s gotta be in there.”
In addition to bringing her husband some luck, Cheryl is also a published author who holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in screenwriting.
The power couple are grandparents to six children and the parents of four, daughter Bryce, twins Paige and Jocelyn and son Reed.
Bryce – a recognizable actor – is known for roles in movies like Jurassic World and The Help, while Paige made her feature film debut in the 2009 movie Adventureland. Since she’s appeared in films The Employer and Collection.
Reed is a professional golfer and Paige’s twin sister Jocelyn is very private.
The secret to longevity
Nearing their 49th anniversary on June 7, the Emmy Award-winning producer shares that “communication” is the secret to their enduring love.
“People say, ‘How’d you do it?’ There’s no technique,” Howard tells People. “There’s no tactic, other than communication is really important. You have to learn to communicate and have difficult conversations in constructive ways. Beyond that, there’s an element of luck because people either grow together or they don’t and I don’t think you can force that.”
Leave a Reply