They were born in the same hospital. They went home to different families. They learned it 41 years after.
Canadian authorities are now conducting an investigation of an incident at a hospital that switched two babies 41 years ago.
Leon Swanson and David Tait Jr., born at North House Cree Nation Hospital in Motiba, Canada, made an emotional announcement when their DNA test revealed that they are not biologically connected to the respective family that raised them. They were born three days apart in 1975.
The CBC News reported that Canadian Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott vowed to launch a third-party investigation of the incident to get to the bottom of how the switching occurred.
This is the second incident of reported baby switching at two separate hospitals in the indigenous province of Motiba.
"The results of this review will be made public. Cases like this are an unfortunate reminder to Canadians of how urgent the need is to provide all indigenous people with high-quality health care," said Philpott in the report.
"The government of Canada remains deeply committed to renewing a nation-to-nation relationship with all indigenous peoples. I offer my sympathy to the families in this difficult time," the health minister added.
The report disclosed that Swanson and Tait were friends and grew in the same community, but there were target of teasing as they resembled each other's family.
The decades of teasing prompted them to two men to undergo a DNA test to know the truth, which eventually revealed the shocking reality - Tait's DNA to Swanson's mother.
"We don't have words. Forty years gone ... just distraught, confused, angry," said Tait.
