Kay Rene Reed Qualls found out that she and DeeAnn Angell Shafer were switched at birth. -- PHOTO: AP
HEPPNER (Oregon) - ON A spring day in 1953, two baby girls were born at Pioneer Memorial Hospital in eastern Oregon. They grew up happily, got married, had kids of their own and became grandparents. Then last summer their lives were turned upside down.
Kay Rene Reed Qualls found out that she and DeeAnn Angell Shafer were switched at birth.
how they found out
They recently met for the first time and underwent DNA tests after a woman who knew both their mothers called Ms Qualls' brother with her suspicion.
Ms Qualls' brother, Bobby Reed, said the 86-year-old woman knew his mother and had also lived next door to the Angell family.
Ms Qualls, Mr Bobby Reed and one of their sisters met Ms Shafer at a Kennewick, Washington, clinic last month for DNA testing.
A week later, Ms Qualls got the results, learning her likely probability of being related to her brother and sister was zero.
'I cried,' she said. 'I wanted to be a Reed - my life wasn't my life.' Ms Shafer's DNA report said she had 99.9 per cent of being related to Bobby and Dorothy Reed. Now living in Richland, Washington, Ms Shafer said the report only confirmed what she knew after meeting Ms Qualls.
'After seeing Kay Rene, I went home and told my husband, I don't know why she's doing the DNA testing,' she said. 'I was shocked - she looked just like my sister's twin.'
Pioneer Memorial Hospital offered to pay for counselling, but both women declined.
The two have become friends and celebrated their May 3 birthday together. Recently, Ms Qualls introduced Ms Shafer to her work colleagues, calling her 'my swister'.
'I'm trying to move forward at look at the positive,' Ms Shafer said. 'You can't look back. It just drives you crazy.' -- AP
