Mixed up at birth

“When I saw the mother, it was over”

Jessica (left) contacted Doris, now they have certainty.(Bild: Jürgen Fuchs)

35 years apart, now united: two Styrian women who were switched as babies in October 1990 at Graz University Hospital have finally found each other! A DNA test brought certainty after years of hope and fear. For the first time, both families tell the Krone their incredible story - of cautious attempts to get to know each other, the tears, the laughter and the incredible realization that their counterpart had been living in the neighbouring village the whole time.

"Do you know the story of the Grünwald family, the case of the two switched babies?" The question from a nurse catches Jessica B. completely off guard. She is just seven months pregnant when her child stops growing. Examinations follow, doctors ask about genetic pre-existing conditions. Jessica denies it. She had heard something about the Grünwald case, which was reported in the media years ago. But now, with the life of her unborn baby in her womb, there is no room for strange stories. All that matters is her son.