How would you feel if you gave birth to a child, then someone tried to tell you that youre actually not their mother? You would fight to make them understand that you are actually the mom, right? This is exactly what Lydia Fairchild did when she discovered something extremely unusual.
She carried her babies in her womb for nine months and gave birth to them, but that wasnt enough. The courts told Fairchild she wasnt actually the mother of her children, according to ABC. There was still one question though -- who was the mother of those children?
It all started when Fairchild was 26-years-old, applying for public assistance in Washington and unemployed. In order to qualify, every person in her family needed a DNA test to prove they were related.
The surprising DNA results
Fairchilds boyfriend was definitely the father of her children, but the evidence showed that she wasnt the biological mother. How was it possible?
According to the same article, the Department of Social Services called Fairchild in for a conversation. What she thought would be a simple meeting turned into a full interrogation. They thought she had stolen the babies, but she knew it was all a mistake. She tried to make them understand that she was the mother and the DNA test was wrong, but they told her the test was 100 percent reliable.
Although Fairchild provided photos of the birth and birth certificates while doctors provided their testimonies, nothing was enough for the Judge who only trusted the blood samples that were tested over and over. Social services even warned Fairchild they could take her children away at any time.
She found hope through someone like her
Fairchild threw herself into a ruthless search for answers. She didnt want to lose her children, but lawyers she reached out to didnt want to fight the evidence from the DNA tests.
She finally found another woman with her same issue from Boston. Her name was Karen Keegan, and her DNA didnt match her childrens either.
Keegan discovered this when she needed a kidney transplant and her two sons DNA didnt match hers. But then she remembered she had part of her thyroid removed, so they tested that tissue that had been stored in a lab. Sure enough, the DNA was there and proved she was the biological mother.
Both women were their own twin
When Fairchild knew there was another woman like her in the world, she know everything would clear up soon. Specialists explained that Fairchild and Keegan suffered from a rare disease called chimerism, and there are only 30 documented cases worldwide.
Pathologist Dr. Lynne Uhl explained that Keegan and Fairchild were their own twins, or chimeras. While they were in their respective wombs, two embryos were fused together to form one human. The women had their own blood and their twins DNA tissue.
A happy ending
If Fairchild wouldnt have found Keegan, she might have lost her children forever. Now she can breathe easy and know shes a very rare, special case in the world of genetics.
This article was adapted and translated from the original Hombre engendra 3 hijos con la gemela de su esposa sin que nadie sepa (ni siquiera l) which was originally published on familias.com.
She carried her babies in her womb for nine months and gave birth to them, but that wasnt enough. The courts told Fairchild she wasnt actually the mother of her children, according to ABC. There was still one question though -- who was the mother of those children?
It all started when Fairchild was 26-years-old, applying for public assistance in Washington and unemployed. In order to qualify, every person in her family needed a DNA test to prove they were related.
The surprising DNA results
Fairchilds boyfriend was definitely the father of her children, but the evidence showed that she wasnt the biological mother. How was it possible?
According to the same article, the Department of Social Services called Fairchild in for a conversation. What she thought would be a simple meeting turned into a full interrogation. They thought she had stolen the babies, but she knew it was all a mistake. She tried to make them understand that she was the mother and the DNA test was wrong, but they told her the test was 100 percent reliable.
Although Fairchild provided photos of the birth and birth certificates while doctors provided their testimonies, nothing was enough for the Judge who only trusted the blood samples that were tested over and over. Social services even warned Fairchild they could take her children away at any time.
She found hope through someone like her
Fairchild threw herself into a ruthless search for answers. She didnt want to lose her children, but lawyers she reached out to didnt want to fight the evidence from the DNA tests.
She finally found another woman with her same issue from Boston. Her name was Karen Keegan, and her DNA didnt match her childrens either.
Keegan discovered this when she needed a kidney transplant and her two sons DNA didnt match hers. But then she remembered she had part of her thyroid removed, so they tested that tissue that had been stored in a lab. Sure enough, the DNA was there and proved she was the biological mother.
Both women were their own twin
When Fairchild knew there was another woman like her in the world, she know everything would clear up soon. Specialists explained that Fairchild and Keegan suffered from a rare disease called chimerism, and there are only 30 documented cases worldwide.
Pathologist Dr. Lynne Uhl explained that Keegan and Fairchild were their own twins, or chimeras. While they were in their respective wombs, two embryos were fused together to form one human. The women had their own blood and their twins DNA tissue.
A happy ending
If Fairchild wouldnt have found Keegan, she might have lost her children forever. Now she can breathe easy and know shes a very rare, special case in the world of genetics.
This article was adapted and translated from the original Hombre engendra 3 hijos con la gemela de su esposa sin que nadie sepa (ni siquiera l) which was originally published on familias.com.
