Switched at Birth: Part II

Continuing from the September 23, 2025 edition...

Carter’s research gave her reason to believe others may have been switched at the hospital during that time period. She was telling the story to one friend who knew that in August, 1962, a boy and a girl had also been switched. That switch was quickly caught by one of the mothers and it was corrected. Two more girl babies were switched in September and one mother recognized she had the wrong baby and it was corrected.

Carter also learned that two other baby girls were swapped in March of 1963. One had a birth mark, and the mother quickly recognized that she was given the wrong baby. This fourth was the incident in a 7-month period and it was corrected.

“In my case, the babies were so much alike, no one knew,” she said.

Carter is telling her story, not for notoriety, but so others will know the deeper impact that completely changed what she knew to be her family medical history

“Mine changed tremendously,” Carter said. “You go to the doctor, and you have the same family medical history forever, now you don’t know.”

Another reason Carter wants to tell her story is so that families can be united and enjoy getting to know each other. I have met most of my immediate family members and do spend some time with my birth mother, brother, and sister.

Carter’s father, who did not believe the results of the first DNA test, later decided that he wanted to meet his birth daughter. Soon afterwards, he was taken to the hospital after he contracted COVID-19 and died a couple of weeks later.

“A friend of mine found her brother late in life, and he died a few months later. When someone needs to find a family member, maybe they can find somebody out there that is still living that they can bring into their family,” Carter stated about the reasons for telling her story.

For Carter, family is more than DNA. It is also about the family environment and how someone is raised.

“I am so much like my mother who raised me,” Carter said.

The discovery of the switch caused Carter to think about her life and she sought counseling to help her deal with and understand her feelings.

“It is not hard to bring other people into your family. You just must be open minded,” Carter said. “I had a truly loving family and I am so glad that I grew up in that atmosphere. The drama is finding out and then figuring out how you are going to explain it to those you grew up with who you love just the same as before the news.”

Carter said she is very grateful that her best friend was with her when she learned the shocking news, “That helped a whole lot, because I fell apart,” she recalled. “I was thinking, why did this happen to me.”

She believes her faith in God helped her cope with the news.

“I was thankful my family took me to church. When you find the Lord and you know you are going to go to heaven, that is the most important thing in life,” Carter noted.

In the switch, Carter gained a brother, a sister and a half-sister. Her birth mother is still living. Carter even attended high school all four years with the person she was switched with.

“She looks just like my mother, the mother who raised me,” Carter said. “Her son looks just like the brother I was raised with.”

In conclusion, one Sunday, our former pastor at Huntingdon Missionary Baptist Church brought a message that hit home to Carter. His message was titled, “Who am I? What am I doing here? And, where am I going?” Carter said, “That stuck with me that day.” “While I may not be that person named on my birth certificate and my actual DOB is 9/13/1962, I am still who I am, Teresa. I am here because God has a purpose in my life, and I am going to Heaven and really this birth switch has changed my life in a positive way.”

It has taken a long time for Carter to tell her story and she believes there may be others out there that could have been switched at birth during this same time frame.

She is hoping her story will inspire them to seek the truth about who they are and find additional family members they may not know they have.

On a final note, Teresa said, “My brother by birth was visiting a few weeks ago, and he said to my husband with a sincere heart, “Thank you for doing the DNA testing.”