Well, of course, we felt indebted to him for doing that. She teased the groom and handed Bob's older son a present for his baby. And he said, well, I wouldn't disgrace the doctor by telling him he gave us the wrong baby. She circled the names of people that were participating in the program like my one of my uncles on the birth side, Earl Gonzales. But then Mrs. Miller told me more of her side of the story. And there are some awkward moments, like when Sue talks to Mrs. Miller about the fact that she never got enough breast milk as a baby. Years later, when she got the letter that told her the truth, she was stunned and she knew she had to break the news to the McDonald's who raised her, but she didn't call them right away. You know, to run a big radio station was not always the dream job that he wanted. So she said unless there's a real reason that you need to know that, I don't recommend that you dig into it. I didn't have a doubt in my mind. Like Bob and Kay, she would circle their names and say, these are your parents. But they didn't notice any-- I don't know why they didn't notice it that Martha looked like them and was like them. If you're just tuning in, Jake Halpern is telling the story this hour of two girls switched at birth. She was nervous, studious, serious, but it didn't seem so strange in junior high. So she said, well, if you were to find out that these parents that you have are not your parents and the other family doesn't want to have anything to do with you, how are you going to feel? I don't think that they ever came to watch me cheer in a game. And he did, in fact, say some hurtful things. And I wanted to be a cheerleader. And I don't know that she was as excited about it as I was. Even if she could somehow convince everyone it was true, what would happen if you suddenly took a six-month-old away from the only mother she knew? 7/13 - This is the story of two baby girls who were given to the wrong mothers. Why the big concern about disgracing the doctor over, you know, having the wrong baby? Then when Ruth was about 16, her older sister Faith came home from a trip on a Mississippi River boat and told Ruth she'd seen Sue McDonald on the boat, and that she looked an awful lot like them. Switched at Birth. It is the first television show to feature several deaf actors/characters and entire scenes shot using only ASL. I've forgiven them, but that doesn't mean that I've forgotten. So then she found out she had all of these, um, brothers and sisters and the phone calls were fewer. Well, why don't we just ask Mom and Dad about this. The two moms and the two daughters who were affected more than anyone. At just 20, Rita knew what she was in for. And the purpose of this letter is that Mrs. Miller is breaking the news-- 43 years after the fact-- to Martha and Sue that she took the wrong baby home from the hospital, that Martha and Sue were switched at birth, that she's not Martha's biological mom, she's Sue's. She'd also moved out of Wisconsin, in her case to Southern California. I remember at the wedding when my nephew got married, my brother danced with everybody. There were also some definite deficits. He danced with her. Rest, fluids, medication to lower the fever. But I went along with it, because I don't like to make waves, I guess, you might say. I didn't even dance with you. And then they go right to do that. She turns the groom and handed Bob's older son a present for his baby. She and Faith and Mary Lydia, the older girls, had sort of always known about the possibility that Marti wasn't their biological sister. Actually, my mother wanted to go to court and have my name legally changed back to Sue McDonald and have Sue's name changed. It was Matt Tierney, Nancy Updike and Diane Wu. So then I just forgot about the whole thing. And I said, heavens no. Nothing seemed amiss to her. The way she pronounced her words were identical with the way my mother talked. But even if it did happen, there is no way to prove it. And he was very angry at first with me. And I think he honestly never thought it was a possibility. Four Ages in Life. That was her idea. After dinner, she sat down and told them about Mrs. Miller's letter, told them point blank she wasn't their child. She could have been my aunt or my mother talking on the phone. This American Life. As a kid, she was really a live wire. I was just horrified and and he didn't tell me ahead of time, it just came out with it. And I couldn't figure that out at the time. In fact, my mother said, well, just don't tell anybody. All Votes Add Books To This List. They understand why she didn't speak out sooner. Just out of curiosity, what was your room like? Kay McDonald is still tight with Sue, the daughter she raised, but she's also much closer with Marti. And like my dad said, you know, you are my child. She remembers Marty always lightening the mood in their house as a kid. Never had that happen with any of our others. I don't like to make waves, I guess you might say. Kay is no longer angry the way she was, but she says she'll never understand why Mrs Miller stayed silent for all those years. The get-together at Bob and Kay McDonald's house didn't go exactly as she wanted. this american life switched at birth transcript. That's just how she is. this american life switched at birth transcript Over the years, Mrs. Miller would do or say things concerning the girls, things that just seemed strange to Kay. She told me that she even started calling around trying to find someone who'd be a mother to her six children. Darlene Wolfgram did tell her daughter, though, and the daughter there with me ended up marrying Sue's brother, Bob, her the older. I mean, what was your reaction? Bay grew up in a wealthy family with two parents and a brother. this american life switched at birth transcriptsour milk bread recipes no yeastsour milk bread recipes no yeast I mean, I knew that were things I couldn't do and. Now this you tell who that is. Our other children were very serious. Is 'Cradle Swapping' Based On A True Story? The Lifetime Movie - Bustle (26 minutes). Switched at Birth. We're not mad simply because these two made such a stellar job portraying the main characters. One of the mothers realized the mistake but chose to keep quiet until the day, more than 40 years later, when she decided to tell both daughters what happened. Today on our show, we hear what happens when somebody takes your family and throws it up in the air like a deck of cards from WBCSD Chicago. She'd also moved out of Wisconsin-- in her case, to Southern California. Switched at Birth: The True Story of a Mother's Journey (Paperback) by Kathryn Kennish (shelved 5 times as switched-at-birth) avg rating 3.97 455 ratings published 2012 Want to Read Rate this book 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars Whose Baby? Just got obsessed with it. And when I think of my mother, I think of her. But later, the two churches merged. Your mother said this. This is the daughter that actually was in you. So of course, we were elated when I did get pregnant. Sue looks happy. She said she wanted to call Marti first, but never managed to reach her. From the McDonalds' perspective, Marti looked and acted remarkably like a McDonald. So at this point, you're probably wondering, why in the world didn't Mrs. Miller straighten this out quicker? And of course, Marti didn't really call a whole lot. In a pretty lighthearted household, she was nervous, studious, serious. Weeks went by and Sue began to fret. Unbelievable Intentional Swap. She's ours now. It took Kay an awful long time. They were married for 60 years. That's what I'm talking about. What that meant was that after Chemical finally found out the truth in 1994, people started coming up to her in church, mostly casually mentioning that they'd known about it all along. Happy 43rd birthday to you too. Marti considered whether she should go. And at the same time, you have a new mom or new daughter, it is not so clear what you're supposed to do with this new parent or new child who's now in your life. Sue is ours. And yes, Sue is different from the rest of the family in certain ways, dark and tall and skinny and a family that was none of those in a pretty lighthearted household. In fact, she seemed to have a tin ear for the whole thing. And I'm thinking, how would I have survived with that kind of upbringing? This brings us to Marti, the other baby in this baby switch. He thought she really dreamed this up in her head and just got obsessed with it. No, no, no. That is the kind of news nobody ever wants to hear. Weeks went by and Sue began to fret. Now that the big family questions are mostly worked out, one of the toughest things both Marti and Sue have to deal with is logistical. I mean, that my kids are all so serious about their life. Here is how Mrs. Miller explained that in the letter. But Sue was the girl they'd brought up and they felt loyal to her, protective. I think you know that you will always be our daughter, but I thought each of you should know your biological and spiritual backgrounds. No, we didn't argue about that. I don't have any idea. He did not want her to push me out of the family. I'm Ira Glass. This is a videotape of that first meeting. From WBEZ Chicago, it's "This American Life." When I first talked to Mrs. Miller about what had happened when Mary was born, she told me pretty much the same story she told in her letter, how she knew as soon as she got home and weighed the baby that the nurses had made a mistake. This is a videotape of that first meeting. Switched at birth - This American Life - ABC Radio National (Australian And then he told me that I looked like them. Like one of my uncles on the birth side, Earl Gonzalez, she circled his name, and she wrote, this is your uncle. And before he starts, just to help you keep everybody straight in this story, a quick overview of the two families. He's an herbalist? I just thought it was odd that so many people would know in a town of our size, which is like 5,500 people, when that many people were aware of it, that the news didn't get to us. It's a little late. I would just never go down that road again, that I was not going to just not going to go there. And I was kind of stunned. I changed your diaper and my mother, nothing was going to be different between us. I didn't have anything to do with it. And now she wanted everyone's role to be clear. He was popular. And when Mrs. Miller finally let everybody know the truth, long after both girls were grown up with children of their own, it was disruptive. They were nice enough when she spoke to them on the phone, but they weren't exactly welcoming her into the family. The Millers were at the McDonald's anniversary party, their mutual acquaintances, they got a short drive from each other's houses and Waseca and Kurdish in Wisconsin. Some time between five and 15 days ago. It's kind of you know, she tells me that this is, you know, you're, ah, you're my daughter. Neither Sue nor Marty blames Mrs. Miller for going along with her husband. And whenever Marti comes to my hometown, she stays with my brother. I can't tell you how hard it was, but I got me all along. Incredibly, when Marty was 21 years old, someone actually told her that she might not be a Miller, one of her older sisters, Ruth, came to visit with her husband, Rudy. And keep his friendship, you know, if I turn against him, like, gotten on that. She circled his name and she wrote, This is your uncle. But even she never divulged the secret to Bob or any of the McDonald's. When Sue got married, for instance, the Millers gave her a trivet Norbert had made. And both Marty and Sue worry that the families that always thought were theirs and still want to keep them and both mothers and daughters each had to figure it out on their own. This doctor had been so kind to us and good to us. As for Marty, she doesn't like to dwell on the notion that Sue might have been the one who lucked out. And I was in the hallway. They knew Reverend Miller. The next week, though, when Marti was visiting their mom, Mrs. Miller, she asked her about what Rudy had said. And she would circle their names and say, these are your parents. I'm really a Miller. So she said, unless there's a real reason that you need to know, she said, I don't recommend that you dig into it. They have mutual acquaintances. But it just brought up feelings that feel crummy again. 1. The Millers were at the McDonalds' anniversary party. how long does crab paste last; is gavin hardcastle married; cut myself shaving down there won't stop bleeding He gives her a ride and immediately become friends. It was a little surreal to hear her talk about it in this way, laughing like that, especially after hearing McDonald's side of things. Here's Marty. But she didn't call them right away. That would have ruined it. I'm Ira Glass. Switched at Birth Season 1, Episode 20 Game On Transcript Transcripts Switched at Birth Game On Script view 0 1 s01e20 - Game On Transcript detail Previously on "Switched at birth." I'm coach Medlock. She thought she was going to die. And he did, in fact, say some hurtful things. She. And as I the more I thought about it, the more I realized, you know, I can't think about this because it'll drive me crazy if I do. And when Mrs. Miller finally let everybody know the truth, long after both girls were grown up with children of their own, it was disruptive. She was close to her mother. She didn't question that every day she was at the hospital. Is my brother going to care to even see me anymore? She worried her mother might reject her. She always referred to the girls as sisters. It was like a dog door, just like here. My mom said, oh, well, you just take after great-grandpa this or aunt so-and-so. I just couldn't believe it. From Marti's perspective, the genetic counselor's prediction from years before seemed to be coming true, and it felt like she was losing both her mothers. There wasn't much money around. We love you, Martha Jane, as dearly as our other six children. That's Sue. I asked my mother. Here's Jake Halpern. I don't care whether my husband objected or not, I. I feel like I should have made it a wrong into a right. She wanted to be a part of a big family. And you can see, they're just having so much fun and laughing together and just dancing away. And this was a bad decision, but he didn't realize what effect that can make. Part of me really doesn't want to know because I think I would feel left out of something. TV-14 | 06.06.2011. She denied, she says, oh, no, no, that's not true. When I hear this episode now, what hits me honestly is how cunningly structured thing is where where you hear about the mom from all these other people before you ever hear from her and then how your picture of her changes once you actually hear her. I remember at the wedding when my nephew got married, my brother danced with everybody, he danced with Marty and you can see they're just having so much fun and laughing together and and just dancing away. "This American Life" is delivered to public radio stations by PRX, the Public Radio Exchange. And he did, and he did. During this time, it was Marti's dad, Reverend Miller, who reassured her. A different kind of #MeToo story, about several women who worked for the same man. And I thought she even walks like Mary. She I did feel in the beginning like she was taking my place in my family, and that was odd, very odd, and sometimes I don't know exactly what her relationship is with my sisters. Since only Mrs. Miller knew what was going on, but they didn't notice any. But even if it did happen, there was no way to prove it. You're their kid, you're in their family. Starring: Katie LeclercVanessa MaranoConstance Marie. In fact, we were even weren't even sure we'd have another child, so of course, we were elated when I did get pregnant and and then to think that I didn't get to raise the one that I had wanted to so much and. But, boy, it was really for me. She wasn't malicious. He explained things like why all those years ago he refused to return to the hospital and switch back the babies. And that no one around. And then she's going to say, well, I don't need that daughter anymore. mac miller faces indie exclusive. And so that's why I started sending them a copy of our Christmas letter. A month and a half later, she wrote the letter. And I said, I don't know. So now we are both aware of what happened 43 years ago. But that's pretty much where it ends. And both Marti and Sue worried that the families they'd always thought were theirs would still want to keep them. Reporter Jake Halpern tells the story of Marti Miller and Sue McDonald, the daughters who were switched at birth , and the many complications that came with learning the truth. This is my brother.