By Hannah Van De Peer
A leap year baby who is 28 but has only had seven birthdays – says it’s “special” to only celebrate once every four years.
Chantal Breland, 28, was born on February 29, 1996 – a leap year – and says her ‘real age’ confuses “a lot” of people.
Chantal doesn’t see her non-leap year birthdays as much of a celebration.
But as this year is a leap year she plans to get dressed up and has sent colour-coordinated invitations to a big party at a club.
Chantal, a hairstylist, from Algonquin, Illinois, said: “I love being a leap year baby – it feels really special, only being able to celebrate every four years.
“Nobody really understands my real age – it always takes a long conversation with the bouncer if I want to go to a club.
“I’ve always done big leap year birthdays – it only comes around every four years.”
Growing up, Chantal’s family always got her a cake on the February 28 and her celebrations were often low-key.
Once every four years, her family would take her bowling, ice skating, or throw a big party for all her friends.
As she got older, she continued throwing huge, extravagant parties for her leap year birthdays.
A college professor threw a party for her and her entire class in 2016 when she was turning 20 – but her leap year age was just five.
For her 24th birthday in 2020 Chantal and her friends colour co-ordinated “hot pink outfits” with balloons and invitations and went to a bar in Chicago.
She said: “Generally, I didn’t really understand what my birthday was – all I knew is we celebrated with a cake or a dinner most years, and every so often we’d have a big party.
“My leap year parties would be amazing – we’d go bowling, skating, throw parties at the house with multiple people there.
“I did eventually catch on with that being every four years – at school, they taught us about leap years and my friends would freak out about my ‘real age.'”
Chantal has said she’s “tired” of explaining her two ages to different people – and says she always finds herself in unwanted conversations.
She says people get confused about how it works – and she always has to clarify which years are leap years.
Chantal said: “People just don’t get it.
“There’s a lot of general confusion where bouncers, for example, won’t understand my real age.
“They’ll look at the date of my birthday – and once it’s clicked, they’ll try and tell me their cousin’s-sister’s-brother’s-husband also has a leap year birthday.
“And it’s like, okay!”
Her 10th “official” birthday will coincide with her 40th birthday – which she calls her “golden birthday”.
She has already begun planning it with her husband, Kristopher, 28, an aquarist, and her best friend, N’Crai Pittman, 27, an aesthetician.
Chantal said: “I’d love to get dressed up and organise something along with my husband and my best friend.
“I’m treating it as my golden birthday. I’m sure I’ll have kids by then, so I’ll want a whole-family party with all my friends too.
“To turn 40 and to have that fall on a leap year is huge.”
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