babies switched at birth meet 56 years later

[Latina]

babies switched at birth meet 56 years later

HEPPNER, Ore. – On a spring day in 1953, two baby girls were born at Pioneer Memorial Hospital in eastern Oregon. They grew up happily, got married, had kids of their own and became grandparents. Then last summer their lives were turned upside down.

Kay Rene Reed Qualls found out that she and DeeAnn Angell Shafer were switched at birth.

They recently met for the first time and underwent DNA tests after a woman who knew both their mothers called Qualls' brother with her suspicion.

Qualls' brother, Bobby Reed, said the 86-year-old woman knew his mother and had also lived next door to the Angell family.

"She said she had something she had to get off her chest," he told the East Oregonian newspaper in a story published Monday.

The woman, whom he declined to identify by name, told him that his mother, Marjorie Angell, had insisted back in 1953 she had been given the wrong baby after the nurses returned from bathing the two newborns, but her concerns were brushed off.

Story

[Latina]

Could you imagine finding out at age 56 that you were raised by the wrong parents? Your siblings aren't blood related? Your family isn't truly your birth family? How do you deal with that!

It seems they have delt with it pretty well.
All's well that ends well i guess

Pioneer Memorial Hospital offered to pay for counseling, but both women declined.

The two have become friends and celebrated their May 3 birthday together. Recently, Qualls introduced Shafer to her work colleagues, calling her "my swister."

[dgridley]

That would certainly be shocking news.. but I have a cousin whose parents gave him to other relatives when he was a baby and he didn't find out that his dad was actually his uncle until he was in his 40's.

[Blue Baboon]

I saw that story the other day and that would be a shock, but it seems that both have been raised in good families and had a happy life.

It was interesting that one of the mothers knew right away that she had the wrong baby, but the nurses didn't listen to her. There are some things a mother just knows about her own child I guess. Maybe she should have raised a bigger stink about it. Aren't babies supposed to be wearing a band that isn't removable unless you cut it? This isn't the first story about a baby mix up. How does this happen?

[dgridley]

Wonder if it was harder on the mom's or the kids?