The story began when a woman, who has chosen the pseudonym Claire, received a DNA test as a gift from her son. The results hinted at a mystery she hadn’t anticipated: she had no genetic ties to the region her family hailed from, and instead, a first cousin she’d never known appeared in her matches. For Claire, this revelation stirred a strange sense of validation. "I felt like an imposter," she shared, explaining that she had long felt she didn’t quite fit in with her family. "There were no similarities in looks or traits. I thought, 'Yes – I'm adopted.'" Then, another twist emerged—a previously unknown full sibling appeared on her family tree, sparking even more questions about her identity and origins.
Woman takes a DNA test gifted by her son — learns she was swapped at birth 55 years ago
DNA tests taken by the woman and a brother revealed surprising details about their family.
Discovering unexpected connections in your family tree can feel surreal, especially when it unearths long-hidden secrets. For one British family, what started as a simple curiosity turned into a life-changing revelation after a DNA test revealed a hidden truth—two babies had been switched at birth in a hospital mix-up over half a century ago. According to a report by the BBC, this is the first documented case of a baby swap by NHS UK, uncovered decades later through a single DNA test.
A man named Tony reached out to her in 2022 for answers, as she appeared as his full sibling instead of his sister, Jessica (name changed). "Hi, my name's Tony. I've done this DNA test. You've come up as a full sibling. I'm thinking it's a mistake. Can you shed any light on it?" Tony messaged. Eventually, the biological siblings began exchanging details and discovered that Jessica and Claire had been born around the same time in 1967 at the same hospital. The two women had been switched at birth, a case that had never before been reported involving the NHS, according to the outlet. Since the 1980s, newborns have been given radio frequency identification tags immediately after birth to track their location, but before that, paper tags were used.
"The ripples from this will be enormous. If you want to leave it here, then I'll absolutely accept that, and we won't progress this at all," Tony told Claire. However, Claire was sure she wanted to meet her mom and brother and get to know them. On the other hand, Tony's mom, Joan, was quite shocked by the discovery. She recalled planning a home birth but ultimately going to the hospital due to high blood pressure. She saw her daughter briefly before the newborn was taken away so Joan could rest. The next day, she noticed her daughter had fair hair, unlike the rest of the family, but brushed it off in her excitement to have a daughter.
Claire and Joan were elated to meet each other and immediately struck a chord, reported Independent UK. The NHS emphasized that it had never encountered a case of babies being sent home with the wrong parents before. However, after Tony reached out with the details, the organization acknowledged the grave error and promised to consider compensation for the families involved. Claire now calls Joan 'mom,' while Jessica doesn't. However, Joan expressed that she just believes she has one more daughter now and still considers Jessica her own.
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