SÃO PAULO, SP (UOL/FOLHAPRESS) - Two 38-year-old Americans discovered through home DNA tests that they were exchanged at birth and raised by each other's biological families.
Home DNA test reveals baby swap after 38 years in US
SÃO PAULO, SP (UOL/FOLHAPRESS) - Two 38-year-old Americans discovered through home DNA tests that they were exchanged at birth and raised by each other's biological families. The discovery began with a test chosen by...
The discovery began with a test chosen by chance in a Christmas gift exchange. Kyle Bylin wanted to learn more about the German origins of the mother who raised him, but discovered he had no biological link to her. The exam also identified an unknown woman as his aunt, through a genealogy platform.
The woman was Jeremy Morrison's aunt, who decided to do the exam herself. He had no known cousins ??and found it strange that Kyle appeared on the genealogy platform as her nephew. The result confirmed the exchange in the maternity ward, according to the Associated Press.
A photograph helped Jeremy understand what had happened. He was convinced of the exchange when he saw an image of his biological brother and noticed the similarity between the two.
The two were born just hours apart at Unity Medical Center in Grafton, North Dakota. They were the only babies born at the hospital on Jan. 26, 1988, and they were given to the wrong families, according to the lawsuit cited by local broadcaster Valley News Live.
Kyle still has the bracelet placed on him at the hospital. The biological son of the Morrison family, he was raised by Evelyn Newton and Keith Bylin. Jeremy, the Bylin couple's biological son, grew up with Elizabeth O'Toole and Terry Morrison.
Jeremy said that he always physically differed from the family he grew up with. He was blond, while his relatives had brown hair. "I didn't have anyone in my family that looked like me," he told KKTV.
Kyle also wondered why he thought so differently from his relatives. For years, he considered political differences at family gatherings to be just differences of opinion.
The family that raised Kyle never suspected the exchange. Evelyn said that her son had dark hair, but there were relatives with that characteristic in her then-husband's family. As she had been adopted, she also did not know what her biological relatives looked like.
The result didn't change Jeremy's bond with the family that raised him. He said he was loved, played sports and performed well in school. "A DNA test is not going to take away 38 years of memories," he said.
The two men have already met their biological parents. The encounters were welcoming, but also awkward. Kyle and Jeremy spoke on the phone, but have not yet met in person.
Jeremy lives in Colorado City, Colorado and works as a welding inspector for a wind energy company. He believes that if he hadn't been traded, he would have been working with his biological father and brother on the family's grain farm in North Dakota.
Evelyn considers Kyle her son, but feels like she missed out on the life she could have shared with Jeremy. She mentioned her first steps, learning to drive and her biological son's wedding. "You can't go back and replace 38 years. How can you make up for that?" he declared.
Families are still trying to build new relationships. Kyle said everyone is meeting relatives who weren't part of their lives.
The two men and four parents sued Unity Medical Center. The lawsuit was filed on July 7 in Walsh County District Court and seeks more than US$50,000 - approximately R$279,000 - in compensation. The plaintiffs accuse the hospital of negligence, medical malpractice, fraud and emotional distress and ask for a jury trial.
The hospital acknowledges that the men were separated from their biological parents, but denies responsibility for the exchange. In a note sent to ABC News, Unity Medical Center stated that the medical and functional records from that time no longer exist and that no member of the birth team remains at the institution.
The defense asked for the action to be closed. Lawyers claim that employees took the required precautions and that the case may have been filed outside the legal deadline due to the time that has passed since 1988. The hospital also requested a trial by jury.
Jeremy claims that the exchange could only have occurred at the hospital. "Kyle and I couldn't have been swapped at a daycare or anything like that," he said.
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Source: Noticias ao Minuto - Mundo
This story was originally published by Noticias ao Minuto - Mundo. Visit the original publication for further details.
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