Kyle Beilein, left and Jeremy Morrison, right / Photo: WDAY News
A Christmas gift led to a life-changing discovery for two families in the US after DNA testing revealed that two men were accidentally switched at birth nearly four decades ago.
The families are now suing a hospital in North Dakota, saying they were deprived of the life they should have shared with their biological relatives.Kyle Beilein and Jeremy Morrison were born on January 26, 1988 at Unity Medical Center in Grafton, North Dakota. According to the lawsuit filed last week, they were the only babies born at the hospital that day but were mistakenly sent home with each other’s parents, the Associated Press reported.The truth came out after Belen received an at-home DNA test during a Christmas gift exchange. The results linked him to his biological uncle through a genealogy website, prompting Morrison to take a DNA test. The results confirmed that they grew up in the wrong families.Belin said he was stunned when the results came back, and described the discovery as something he and his family had never imagined. Morrison said he was convinced after seeing a photo of Belin’s brother, whose resemblance immediately caught his eye.
The discovery has left both families grappling with decades of lost landmarks. Evelyn Newton, who raised Belen, said she still considers him her son but feels she was deprived of the opportunity to watch her biological child grow up.“Kyle is still my son. That will never change,” Newton told the AP. She said she would never be able to regain the years she lost, from her son’s first steps until he learned to drive and get married.Despite this revelation, Morrison said the DNA results did not change the way he felt about his parents who raised him.“I was popular. I played sports. I did well in school,” he said, adding that no DNA test could erase 38 years of memories.Al Wahda Medical Center acknowledged the impact of the discovery on families, but said it found no evidence that hospital employees were responsible for the switch. “We recognize the profound impact this discovery has had on them and their families,” the hospital said in a statement. She added that because nearly four decades have passed, medical and employment records that could have explained what happened no longer exist, and none of the maternity staff from that time work at the hospital.
However, Baylin said he still had the hospital identification bracelet he was issued at birth, which incorrectly identified him as Kyle Baylin.The two men have since reunited with their biological parents, describing the reunions as emotional but also awkward as everyone adjusts to relationships that should have begun decades ago. They have spoken to each other on the phone but have not met in person yet.The hospital’s alleged error changed the course of the lives of two people and four families, causing them to come to terms with the truth that was revealed about 38 years too late, the suit says.