North Dakota moms whose newborns were switched at birth open up about ‘surreal’ struggle with hospital

Two North Dakota moms are opening up about their surreal struggle to hold a hospital accountable for allegedly switching their sons at birth — as the hope to finally uncovering the truth behind such a life-altering mishap.

“It felt surreal,” Elizabeth O’Toole, who was left shocked when she reportedly learned her son, Jeremy, Morrison, was not her biological child, told CBS News. 

“I mean it really didn’t feel real until I met Kyle in person.” 

Two men are demanding answers from a North Dakota hospital, saying they were switched at birth nearly 40 years ago. Google maps

Morrison was allegedly swapped at birth with Kyle Bylin at Unity Medical Center in North Dakota on January 26, 1988, according to their lawsuit filed in state court last week.

The claims arise from Morrison’s DNA test results which placed him as a match with Bylin’s aunt, whose DNA was also registered on Ancestry.com.

Bylin and Morrison were the only children born at Unity Medical Center that day — their birth announcements were published alongside each other in the local newspaper, according to CBS News.

“I would like to know if this was done intentionally,” said Morrison.

“I mean, you would think with only two babies it wouldn’t be too hard to get them to the right families, but apparently it was.”

The hospital claims that it no longer has the medical records from 1988 and therefore cannot confirm whether staff were responsible for the apparent mistake.

“While we deeply sympathize with the men and their families, we have found no evidence to support claims that Unity Medical Center or its staff were responsible for what occurred,” the hospital said in a statement to CBS News.

Morrison wants the hospital to fess up “that there was only two babies there and they went home with the opposite families.” CBS

Evelyn Newton, who raised Bylin, said that it deeply upsets her that the hospital is trying to “pawn this off and say that basically, ‘oh nothing happened here.’”

Morrison, who now lives in Colorado, says the ordeal has been a “rollercoaster of emotions” and he feels the discovery is “a blessing but also a curse.”

“I also have the family I created for myself, too,” he said.

“You know, my parents, Liz and Terry, taught me to be independent and to be resilient and that never let anything stop you in life and just keep going, as no matter how hard it gets, you always have family in … someone.’

He wants the hospital to fess up “that there was only two babies there and they went home with the opposite families.”

“The hospital is 100% at fault,” she charged.