Two Austrian women changed at birth meeting 35 years later

Two Austrian women, who were replaced at birth at a hospital in the southern town of Graz, finally met another 35 years later.

Doris Grunwald and Jessica Baumgartner were born in LKH-Uniklinikum in Graz in October 1990, according to Austrian reports.

Both were premature. Shortly after they were born, the two babies were accidentally switched and given to the parents of the other family.

At that time, in 2012, Grünwald discovered that she was not the biological daughter of her parents Evelyn and Joseph when she donated blood and realized that her blood group did not match that of her mother.

The Austrian public operator ORF announced the case in 2016, but then the other family could not be found.

Baumgartner is brought up not far from Herbert and Monika Derler, according to Orf Thema’s television program. She found that her blood group did not match that of her parents when she became pregnant, and a doctor informs her about the case of switched babies.

Jessica contacted Doris via Facebook and then met.

She told the program that she was like a meeting with a sister.

“We got along immediately,” Doris said. “It was indescribable good feeling.”

Recently, families have finally met, filmed by an ORF television team.

Derler Derler told the program that his first reaction when hearing the news is one of the “emotional turmoil”.

“But my first thought was that Jessica would always be our child. And when I saw Doris, I decided that she was such a cute.”

Meanwhile, Evelyn Grunwald said, “For me, my family has just become bigger and finally I have security.”

“It was a relief,” her husband said.

The Operations Manager at LKH-UNIKLINIKUM in Graz, Grab, Grabhard Brezberger, was quoted by a television operator who said, “We are deeply sorry that this mistake was made at the time.”

He apologized to the two families on behalf of the hospital.

In 2016, Grünwalds consulted a lawyer who advised them to adopt Doris to guarantee her inheritance rights and received them compensation from the hospital, Thema reported.

The derillers are now also pursuing adoption and compensation.

Jessica said it was good that she had clarity now – but she admitted that she had mixed feelings.

“It’s emotionally huge,” she said, “with beautiful sides to him, but also a lot of pain.”