When Kiam Moriya's parents went to fill out paperwork for his birth certificate two weeks after he was born in 2000, something strange was brought to their attention.
“The lady who was helping us fill out the forms said, ‘Do you realize your son was born December 12 at 12:12 p.m.?’’’ Kiam's father, Kazuo Moriya, told TODAY.com. “That’s when it really hit us with all those twelves. I do have to admit that it might mean something, but I have no idea what. It’s definitely a little crazy.’’
Kiam will turn 12 years old at precisely 12:12 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 12, which has made him a bit of a sensation online and in his hometown of Birmingham, Ala., since his story went public. For one minute on Wednesday, it will be dozens wild.
“I think a lot of his classmates and his friends think that it is a cool thing,’’ Moriya said. “It has gone a little crazy in my opinion.’’
Making that confluence of numbers even stranger is that Kiam’s original due date was February 2001, but he was born nearly eight weeks premature at the exact time and date featuring all the twelves. Born in Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville, N.Y., he weighed 4 pounds, 10 ounces and was in an incubator for 10 days, but did not suffer any complications.
“We’ve joked around that he’s the chosen one,’’ his father said.
Moriya, who works for an automotive manufacturing supplier, emigrated from Tokyo when he was 15. He noted that the Japanese consider the year 2000 to be the 12th year of the reign of the current emperor and is known as “Heisei 12.’’ Moriya is also a Presbyterian minister ordained in Japan, and he pointed out the biblical significance of that number, from the 12 apostles to the 12 tribes of Israel.
“A lot of people didn’t believe it,’’ he said. “We had to bring the [birth] certificate to show people just to prove that we’re not making it up.’’
The coincidence of time, date and age for Kiam's birthday has also brought out the apocalypse-obsessed fringe of the Internet.
“There are these weirdos out there online, all these doomsday people, saying he needs to be killed and that he’s the Antichrist,’’ his father said. “We’re trying to tone it down because it’s a little freaky. It’s just a fun little story.’’
The family held a birthday party with a BMX bike theme for Kiam on Saturday, arranging a group of Krispy Kreme doughnuts to form the number 12. On Wednesday, Kiam will celebrate his exact birthday at Joseph S. Bruno Montessori Academy in Birmingham, where he is a sixth-grader.
Kiam's family, friends and teachers plan on celebrating during his lunch period, and his mother, Tamara Moriya, is buying his favorite Krispy Kreme doughnuts for the whole school, which is about 200 students. As for Kiam, he enjoyed the attention at first, but is starting to get a little overwhelmed, his father said.
“Last night, after we went to their taekwondo lesson, I was driving him and his brother home from class, and he did tell me this is getting a little bit crazy and a little bit stressful,’’ Moriya said. “All of this attention might be getting to be a little much for him.’’
Kiam is also the last one who can have a birthday of this kind in this century.
“I guess you could say that is the case because there is no 13/13/13,’’ his father said. “We keep on wondering why it happened that way, especially to our son. It’s just wild.’’
More from TODAY: