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11th Nov 2022

Boy born at 11.11am on 11th November 2011 celebrates his 11th birthday today

Steve Hopkins

Daniel is getting 11 gifts to mark the special occasion

A boy born at 11:11am on November 11 in 2011 is turning 11 today and will make the occasion with – you guessed it – 11 gifts.

Daniel Saunders, who was originally due to be born six days later, has dubbed the double-digit figure his lucky charm.

The boy from Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, is now set to receive 11 presents to mark the special birthday.

“I’ve been looking forward to this birthday a lot! It’s more exciting than any other birthday has ever been,” Daniel said.

“Eleven is a master number in numerology and it means I have good potential in the future.

“It’s my lucky number and it’s easy to remember. Nobody ever forgets my birthday!”

Daniel’s mum, Charlotte, says 11 has also been her lucky number since primary school – which made her son’s birth even more remarkable. Daniel was due to be born on 17, November 2011.

But a week before Charlotte, now 41, was told her son was in an awkward position.

Doctors tried to move him but couldn’t, so they booked in a C-section on November 11. Daniel’s birth was then delayed on the day because he was positioned under Charlotte’s ribs – so the surgeons took longer than expected to get him out.

“We turned up at 6am and had to wait until we were called,” Charlotte recalled.

“He’d have been out earlier but he got stuck under my ribs and they took a while maneuvering him out.

“It’s amazing that he was born with all those 11s. It’s been my lucky number since I was a young child. It’s very special to share that with him.”

Charlotte said Daniel’s birth makes “Remembrance Day more special”.

“You think back to the war and all those relatives that were lost, so you have an extra moment.”

Daniel still has the poppy that was placed with him the day he was born at Addenbrookes Hospital.

Dad Jason, 42, who runs a grounds maintenance firm, said of the birth date: “It’s brilliant! A real day to remember.

“There was no way on this earth we thought it would be possible for him to be born at 11:11 on 11/11 in 2011. “This is a very important day now that he’s turning 11.

“The doctor said there was no chance he would be born at 11:11 but I think he was clinging on to his mum’s rib cage. “A lot of people use their birthday for their PIN number – but he’s pretty stuck on that one!”

Daniel, a right winger, is playing football on his birthday before having a pizza party with his pals and older sister, Grace, 14.

Charlotte added: “We’ll be hoping for eleven goals at football today.”