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Twins tackling life get surprise from NFL idols Seahawks' Griffin twins

Twins Royce and Kiyan Moore are best friends and brothers - just like their NFL idols, Seahawks' Shaquem and Shaquill Griffin.
Six-year-old North Carolina twins Royce and Kiyan Moore look up to their NFL idols, Seahawks' twins linebacker Shaquem Griffin and cornerback Shaquill Griffin. (Photo: WFMY)

Six-year-old North Carolina twins Royce and Kiyan Moore are two hearts beating through the same soul -- resonating twice the energy, twice the focus and twice the love.

They call themselves "best friends and brothers."

"Royce and Kiyan. Kiyan and Royce. They are so identical, like I say, but yet so different," laughed their grandmother Angela Penn.

Kiyan is the older twin -- by one minute -- and Royce looks up to him as a leader. While Kiyan prefers crafts and music, Royce would rather play sports. Kiyan wants to be an art teacher when he grows up, Royce, a football player.

And they're different in a way most people don't even notice.

"I had never heard of it a day in my life. I was like Fibula what?" explained their mother RaShanda Penn.

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Royce was born with Fibular Hemimelia, where the fibula bone is short or missing, deforming the leg and foot. It is the most common limb abnormality in children, and researchers don't know what causes it, according to pediatric orthopedic surgeon Dr. Bettina Gyr with Brenner Children's Hospital.

"His biggest challenge was...that the length of his leg at maturity was going to be very short, compared to his normal leg," Gyr said.

Gyr counseled the family on the two best options. The first was a series of repeated, painful surgeries through childhood to lengthen the leg.

The family went with option two -- to amputate. It didn't take long for Royce to find his stride.

"I always say anything your brother can do, you can do. And possibly, you can do it better. Nothing hinders him," said their mom.

Six years later, the Moore twins run through life's many plays in sync, just like another set of identical twins they've seen on TV.

When asked if they know any players for the Seattle Seahawks, they exclaimed, "Yes! The two that are twins!"

Those twins are linebacker Shaquem Griffin and cornerback Shaquill Griffin. In April, Shaquem Griffin became the first one-handed player drafted to the National Football League.

Meanwhile in North Carolina, Royce and Kiyan Moore watched in awe. And their grandmother reached out to WFMY News 2's Meghann Mollerus about the striking similarities.

"I had seen where you had posted on your Facebook page and it just made me feel so good to see that young man who is a pro football player live his dream. And that's what I really want for my grandson," said Angela Penn.

So, with help from the Griffin twins' alma mater UCF and their agent, Exclusive Sports Group, Mollerus connected their stories. Soon after, the Griffins sent a surprise video message to their young fans:

"What's up, Royce and Kiyan? This is your boy Shaquill Griffin, Seattle Seahawks, cornerback. What's up, ya'll, this is Shaquem Griffin, Seattle Seahawks linebacker. Man look, we're here to talk to y'all about the dream. Stay focused...stay focused in school, stay focused on everything - stick with each other. Sometimes you gotta make sacrifices for your brother, but as long as you stick by each other, he's always going to be there. Hopefully, one day we can be big fans of you guys, man. So it's nice talking to you guys."

The Moore twins, so touched by the inspirational message from their NFL idols, would like to meet the Griffin twins someday. Both sets of twins connect on the fact that they're twins by chance and friends by choice. They prove no matter the circumstance, everyone with a dream can tackle life.

Want to support children with limb differences?

The Moore/Penn family encourages donations to the AJ Linville Foundation, which gives prosthetics to children whose families cannot afford them.

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