Women Discover They Were Switched At Birth 55 Years Later
Two women have discovered they were switched at birth over 55 years ago.
Tina Ennis and Jill Lopez, now 57, were both born on 18th May 1964 at Duncan Physicians and Surgeons Hospital, in Oklahoma.
But somehow, the pair ended up being switched at birth.
You can watch a clip of the women talking about their experience below:
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In the 70s, after Jill and Tina's births, three hospitals in the area - including Duncan Physicians and Surgeons Hospital - merged to form the Duncan Regional Hospital. The hospital has said it is no longer the same hospital responsible for the switch.
Speaking to Tyla, Duncan Regional Hospital said: “Duncan Regional Hospital does not comment publicly on pending litigation. However, in this particular matter, please note that Duncan Regional Hospital is a not-for-profit corporation that did not come into existence until 1976.
"The plaintiffs allege in their lawsuit that the births occurred in 1964 at Physicians and Surgeon Hospital, some twelve years before Duncan Regional Hospital was even in existence. Physicians and Surgeons Hospital was a small, for-profit hospital located in Duncan. Duncan Regional Hospital is not the legal successor to Physicians and Surgeons Hospital, nor was it ever named Physicians and Surgeons Hospital.”
Tina made the shocking discovery in 2019, after taking an Ancestry DNA test to learn more about her family tree.
But when the results showed a list of names she didn't recognise, she started looking for answers.
She asked her mum, Kathryn Jones, to take the same test - and the pair were gobsmacked when their results didn't match.
It was when Tina's daughter suggested that she could have been switched at birth that Tina started to wonder if it could be true.
She began looking for people who also shared her birthday online and ended up coming across Jill. Tina couldn't believe her eyes when she realised Jill looked just like her mum, Kathryn.
Jill did a test and soon the trio discovered that Kathryn was her biological mum.
Speaking to the Today Show Tina said: "All I could think about was how I was going to tell my mom. I just thought she’s not going to be able to handle it."
Kathryn was "totally devastated and heartbroken" and likened the experience to "somebody taking a hatchet" to her heart.
"I could not lose Tina. She’ll always be my daughter. I have loved her from the second they laid her in my arms," she said.
While Kathryn has been able to spend some time with Jill, Tina's biological parents had sadly already passed away.
Now, Tina, Kathryn and Jill are suing Duncan Physicians and Surgeons Hospital for the mix up, citing recklessness and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
"There’s so many people involved, it’s not just me and Jill – it’s two entire families," said Tina.
Lucy Devine