this american life switched at birth transcript

So that was that. The TV series "Switched at Birth" aired on the Freeform network from 2011 to 2017. It was a little surreal to hear her talk about it in this way, laughing like that, especially after hearing Kay McDonald's side of things. But Sue was the girl they had brought up and they felt loyal to her protective. Just out of curiosity, what was your room like? If you're just tuning in, Jake Halpern is telling the story this hour of two girls switched at birth. My name is Bob McDonald. Switched at Birth. I thought it was just Rudy being Rudy, you know, he just has crazy ideas and he dreams these things up. She's ours now. Four Ages in Life. Host Ira Glass introduces four characters: Kay McDonald, who raised a daughter named Sue, and Mary Miller, who raised a daughter named Marti. In junior high, I remember my friend said to me, you must be adopted, because you do not look at all like your parents. The sickness, she said, lasted for six or seven months. Here's Marty. I honestly don't know how much they communicate, how much they're in touch. 'Switched At Birth' Makes TV History Feb 19, 2013, 04:39 PM EST "Switched At Birth" will air an episode told entirely in American Sign Language (ASL) on Monday, March 4 at 8 p.m. on ABC Family. This is Sue reading a letter she got some time ago from her newfound Miller sister, Faith. But that's pretty much where it ends. And then he danced with my cousin. It was the first I had ever heard anything about it. Every chance my mother got, she made it. Another 2.5 million people download the weekly podcast. Reverend Miller had once been pastor there, so he and Mrs. Miller were invited. I just couldn't do it. She said she wanted to call Marti first, but never managed to reach her. Mrs. Miller arranged for the McDonald's to come to dinner. He's a roustabout. The final episode of the Peabody-winning family drama ended things by looking back at how the series. Transcripts are generated using a combination of speech recognition software and human transcribers, and may contain errors. So there would have been no proof. It's all pretty straightforward. We're devoting the full hour today to what happened to these two families. The infants were accidentally switched, and went home with the wrong families. But then Mrs. Miller told me more of her side of the story. Our other children were very serious. I don't think your sister's yours. Thanks especially to the McDonald and Miller families for letting us into their homes and telling their stories. Sarah Koenig, who was then a this American Life producer and who went on to host Syria, she was reporter Jake Halpern's producer for the story and was so instrumental in shaping how it works on the air in addition to the amazing reporting that Jake did. They nothing about it for 43 years. When I weighed the baby, she weighed two and a half pounds less than her birth weight. I mean, I'd say, gee, guess what, Bob, I don't think your sister is yours. She says, I was pregnant and you are my child. Was there ever a time when you thought back and thought, I should have stood my ground more with him on that? It's before kindergarten, so it's OK. As Martha grew, she did not look nor act like any other children. And, you know, because I wonder what's going to happen when my parents are gone. It was the four women at the center of all this. At the hospital in 1951, Kay McDonald was told that she'd given birth to a nine-pound, four-ounce baby. She said everybody at church, after having seen Marti beside the rest of the family, just couldn't believe that that was their child. The infants were accidentally switched, and went home with the wrong families. It is one of the several identifiable characteristics of melodrama that are plot devices dealing with situations that are highly improbable in real life. One of the mothers realized the mistake but chose to keep quiet until the day, more than 40 years later, when she decided to tell both daughters what happened. Nothing seemed amiss to her. And she said, you really need to consider how that's going to change your family for you and how it's going to change relationships for you. One of the most popular episodes of National Public Radio's "This American Life" is titled "Switched at Birth". Is my brother going to care to even see me anymore? And I felt excluded. The plot device of babies who are switched at birth, or in their cradles, has been a common one in American fiction since the 18th century. I mean, that was right. So that was that. She was close to her mother. She worried her mother might reject her. He's the creator of the new comic "Welcome to the New World-- The True Story of a Refugee Family from Syria," which runs weekly in the "New York Times.". If you're ever curious as to what they were, I would be very willing to fill you in, so you fully appreciate the parents who raised you. And Mrs. Miller said to me, did you ever think that our girls were switched at birth? The church was the center of their lives and the family never went on vacation or even to the movies. I mean, what was your reaction? In the episode, the students at Carlton School for the Deaf protest to keep their school open. Yes, I told Norbert, I think we have the wrong baby. I don't like to make waves, I guess you might say. But even if it did happen, there was no way to prove it. You know, so so then I thought, well, OK, then it's not so bad if she you know, she still believes she's my sister. And I thought I was losing both of them. I would just never go down that road again, that I was not going to just not going to go there. It's sad that it happened. Do let me hear from you. And I don't know that she was as excited about it as I was. 43:33. I don't think that they ever came to watch me cheer in a game. Here's Marti. Kay McDonald and the Millers eventually reached a kind of detente. She was guarded. And so that's why I started sending them a copy of our Christmas letter. It was confusing. And I felt excluded. Back in 1994, this is back in the days when people still delivered big news to each other by mail to women who barely knew each other, Martha Miller and Susan McDonald got a letter from Martha's mom. She says, I was pregnant and you are my child. The reason was pretty simple, actually. He's just outright he's just saying, can you forgive me just just like that on the telephone. And until that time, we just talked all the time with every phone call that we made. It's a little late for your child. And as you heard in the letter, one thing that makes this whole thing even stranger is that the two couples knew each other. And this whole crop of people knew, but never said anything to Kay McDonald. From Marti's perspective, the genetic counselor's prediction from years before seemed to be coming true, and it felt like she was losing both her mothers. That's Martha reading. This is not my family. She said, well, if you were to find out that that these parents that you have are not your parents and the other family doesn't want to have anything to do with you, how are you going to feel? But it was just it took a while for us to. I have much anguish and many tears, but I feel I must get this out in the open so you to know how wonderful that you both are, Christians and great workers in the church. That was her idea. Because it was always just a rumor. And I said, well, I don't know. First, she wanted to be absolutely sure it was true. And they were a bookish, serious bunch. Your service title Give us a brief description of the service that you are promoting. And as I the more I thought about it, the more I realized, you know, I can't think about this because it'll drive me crazy if I do. That's not how their family worked. You know, when she finally heard from Mrs. Miller, the mother she'd grown up with, not only did she get the letter, but Mrs. Miller had just been to the fiftieth anniversary party of the McDonald's, Marty's biological parents. In fact, when I would go down and have any touch with the McDonalds-- we got introduced to them-- I tried to talk to her about it. But the good part about that was when I got home from the wedding and my brother called me and he said, you know what? The five girls shared one bedroom. We love you, Martha Jane. From Marty's perspective, the genetic counselor's prediction from years before seemed to be coming true, it felt like she was losing both her mother's. Thanks, especially, to the McDonald and Miller families for letting us into their homes and telling their stories. I only had one daughter and she had five daughters. So he didn't know what to do. Creator/showrunner Lizzy Weiss, director Jeff Byrd and actress Bianca Bethune discuss the intense debates on set, the scene . Download Share a clip Transcript Owen Freeman Prologue Her house is filled with the remnants of her and Norbert's life together in the church. And I said, heavens, no. Stereo. My mom said, oh, well, you just take after great-grandpa this or aunt so-and-so. Mary Miller is 96 now. Her name is also Sue. K was angry that Mrs. Miller hadn't corrected things back in 1951, that Mrs. Miller had hijacked her life in this way, and she was angry that Mrs. Miller put Sue in the difficult position of having to break news like this to her parents and angry that now the Millers were asking so much of Sue's time and attention, it got so bad she had to go on medication for high blood pressure. The Millers wanted to incorporate her family into our family as quickly as they could. I talked to Norbert about it, but he did not want to disgrace our good doctor Deathlok. The Public Radio Exchange. Instead, they were all taught to paint and encouraged to play music. invite research legit; orange county police department california; hydra stop brake booster And I wanted to be a cheerleader, you know, I didn't get picked. All the Millers were invited and all the McDonalds were too. But even she never divulged the secret to Bob or any of the McDonald's. And I knew that she had to be my sister. I was just not ever meeting their expectation of intellectual ism, and my mother has told me since then, you know, you I really didn't expect that much from you because I knew that you weren't our child. Bob is four and 1/2 years older than Sue, a sweet, jovial guy, who never got along with his broody little sister. And I was super anxious to to meet her and in person. I just I just thought it was odd that so many people would know in a town of our size, which is like 50, 500 people, when that many people were aware of it, that the news didn't get to us. I said, I think we-- it's not right to do that, to keep somebody else's baby. Back in 1994-- this is back in the days when people still delivered big news to each other by mail-- two women who barely knew each other, Martha Miller and Susan McDonald, got a letter from Martha's mom. And as Ruth and Faith saw it, it wasn't their place to mess in their parents' affairs, which is why, when her husband Rudy blurted it out a few years later, Ruth was so shocked. There is no gray area. When I mentioned that, I told Mrs. Miller, I felt that it was God's will when she realized that she might not have the right child, I think it was his will that she do something about it. From the McDonald's perspective, Marty looked and acted remarkably like a McDonald's. She knew it the day she got home from the hospital in 1951, that she had the wrong baby, a baby born to a woman named Kay McDonald. I did feel in the beginning like she was taking my place in my family. She'd also moved out of Wisconsin-- in her case, to Southern California. I tried out for cheerleading. Sue dismissed it as part of the whole sister thing, but she also thought was kind of weird. mac miller faces indie exclusive. He did not want her to push me out of the family. But that's all she said. The other daughter in this baby switch, Sue, who was born to Mrs. Miller, the one writing the letter, but raised by Kay McDonald, the other woman, reads. this american life switched at birth transcript. Listen to this episode from You're Gonna Love This Podcast on Spotify. It's kind of you know, she tells me that this is, you know, you're, ah, you're my daughter. It was an odd strategy, if you can even call it that. She had given birth two years prior, to a girl. On Saturday, Laura Hucke graduated from the University of Florida in Gainesville. And so that's why I started sending them a copy of our Christmas letter. And there are some awkward moments, like when Sue talks to Mrs. Miller about the fact that she never got enough breast milk as a baby. So I left Prairie du Chien and I was driving. That could be her. Wow, that could be her. And he said, why wouldn't you have told me that? Bay Kennish grew up in a wealthy family with two parents and a brother, while Daphne Vasquez, who lost her hearing as a child due to a case of meningitis, grew up with a single mother in a poor neighborhood. You know, I I honestly don't know how much they communicate, how much they're in touch. After they were born, she had written us a Christmas letter and said she'd always liked to keep in touch with Susan, because the girls were so much like sisters. I didn't even dance with you. I was sure then that there had been a mix-up. Things like that. I wanted a baby, you know, and you're my baby. Wow, wow. You know, I asked my mother, I said, am I adopted? Oh, really good for us. calderdale council business grants. For this assignment, listen to the Prologue, Act 1, and Act 2 of the This American Life episode #360 called Switched at Birth. And yes, Sue is different from the rest of the family in certain ways, dark and tall and skinny and a family that was none of those in a pretty lighthearted household. And as Ruth and Faith saw it, it wasn't their place to mess in their parents' affairs, which is why when her husband, Rudy, blurted it out a few years later, Ruth was so shocked and Marty refused to believe it at that point. I'm Ira Glass. Coming up, what it's like to be a mom and to learn at the age of 69 that your only daughter isn't actually your daughter at all. She's with us. And I said, I don't know. She figured if she could simply get Kay to look at Marti, Kay would figure things out. And sometimes I don't know exactly what her relationship is with my sisters. In fact, my mother said, well, just don't tell anybody. What if the switch hadn't been made, but if the McDonald's had just taken me home and I had grown up in the house with my biological parents, my biological brother, who would I be? Mr MacDonald's health didn't allow it. And he said, what would you do if I told you that they were your parents? For Sue, her brother's enthusiasm for Marti brought out every insecurity she suffered as a schoolgirl. It exploded. And this was a bad decision. Oh, that's a funny question, I. I really. Rudy had a couple of beers, and after dinner, he got to talking and he started asking me what I knew about the McDonald's. Occasionally she'd break down and cry. And I don't think Sue had that sense, in fact, that's true. Your service title . But, boy, it was really for me. 754. I didn't even dance with you. But that didn't seem so strange. And it was then that I started thinking, oh, my gosh, you know, my life would have been so different. This American Life. Punishes us in any way. And the Millers came. I changed your diaper and my mother, nothing was going to be different between us. And there were a lot of kids, two seven kids in all the McDonald's are the white haired ones in the letter. She looks just like Mary Lydia. I was sure then that there had been a mix up. She always referred to the girls as sisters. Mrs. Miller has, for 43 years, been longing to see the child she'd given birth to. 360: Switched at Birth - This American Life Full episode Transcript 360: Switched at Birth Note: This American Life is produced for the ear and designed to be heard. I changed your diaper. And then he told me that I looked like them. "This American Life" is delivered to public radio stations by PRX, the Public Radio Exchange. And she said, you really need to consider how that's going to change your family for you and how it's going to change relationships for you. And I wanted to be a cheerleader. One of them was Darlene Wolfgram. I couldn't believe that Because I don't have that feeling about-- I don't think God punishes us in any way. Tact isn't her strong suit. So then I just forgot about the whole thing. Johnny Dodd Published on April 13, 2022 01:15 PM One afternoon in the summer of 2019, Tina Ennis realized her life would never be the same again as she sat in a diner near her home in Hobart,. And the daughter, bear with me, ended up marrying Sue's brother Bob. And he let Marty know that he still loved her. ( 1991-04-28) Switched at Birth is a 1991 American miniseries directed by Waris Hussein. And two, it was her brother she might lose. And Jesus lead you in this time. In fact, we were even weren't even sure we'd have another child, so of course, we were elated when I did get pregnant and and then to think that I didn't get to raise the one that I had wanted to so much and. And the purpose of this letter is that Mrs. Miller is breaking the news-- 43 years after the fact-- to Martha and Sue that she took the wrong baby home from the hospital, that Martha and Sue were switched at birth, that she's not Martha's biological mom, she's Sue's. Podcast: Switched at Birth Switched at Birth is a tale of two babies, who were exchanged at birth following a mix up at the hospital. And she kept it quiet all those years. Switched at Birth is the first mainstream television series to have multiple Deaf and hard-of-hearing series regulars and scenes shot entirely in ASL (American Sign Language) as reported by ABC . And then after I knew that they were. Dear Martha and Sue, have you ever suspected or been told that we took home the baby that belonged to Kay and Bob McDonald and they later took home the baby that belonged to us? It was Matt Tierney, Nancy Updike and Diane Wu. Sue looks happy. She told me that she even started calling around trying to find someone who'd be a mother to her six children. And when I think of my mother, I think of her. And so I don't think that was too well received. She remembers Marty always lightening the mood in their house as a kid. And I said, who told you to say that? And that no one around. [00:00:33] That's just how she is. This was the side of the family she was raised with, but she seemed tense, watching as Marti made the rounds, everybody laughing. And things are good with Mrs. Miller to Marty's accepted that despite some of the clumsy things that her mother said and did when she broke the news to her, she meant well. Like Sue, though, Marti stuck out in her family. mary steenburgen photographic memory. And. Mark Twain. A small thing, but it was a big thing to me. So let's take them one by one, starting with Sue, Mrs. Miller's baby, who was raised by the McDonald's. And there were a lot of kids too. And we hope you flourished in the McDonald household. Sue now had four new sisters and two new brothers. Some time between five and 15 days ago. And then to think that I didn't get to raise the one that I had wanted so much. Rest, fluids, medication to lower the fever. It's set that up and. They understand why she didn't speak out sooner. And this whole crop of people knew but never said anything to Kay McDonald. Darlene Wolfgram did tell her daughter, though, and the daughter there with me ended up marrying Sue's brother, Bob, her the older. Marty worked all of her adult life and still does as a nurse. I was shy or I was whatever. Years later when she got the letter that told her the truth, she was stunned. When I weighed the baby, she weighed two and 1/2 pounds less than her birth weight. It's before kindergarten, so it's OK. Yeah. She wrote letters to her parents, but didn't send them. The infants were accidentally switched, and went home with the wrong families. And he said, well, I wouldn't disgrace the doctor by telling him he gave us the wrong baby. After dinner, she sat down and told them about Mrs. Miller's letter, told them point blank she wasn't their child. When he saw you, Sue, he said, I don't need a DNA test. That's how Mrs. Miller kept track of Sue over the years. I couldn't do anything. He explained things like why all those years ago, he refused to return to the hospital and switch back the babies. S1 E2 - American Gothic The parents navigate the new living situation; Daphne hangs out with Liam. Hey, I was switched at birth with you. She could have been my aunt or my mother talking on the phone. And until that time, we just talked all the time. So I never will probably understand why. No, no, no. And I knew that she had to be my sister. I decided to take coach Medlock's offer. Mrs. Miller arranged for the McDonalds to come to dinner. He was popular. He just came out with it. The other woman reads, I had complete anaesthesia, so was asleep when our baby was born. The next week, though, when Marty was visiting their mom, Mrs. Miller, she asked her about what Rudy had said. I don't know how I would have survived. What are you supposed to be with each other? He thought she really dreamed this up in her head and. She said she wanted to call Marty first, but never managed to reach her as a result, Marty got worried about one of the most basic facts of her life, second hand, all the while waiting to hear directly from her mother. It's all your fault. And he just I think he honestly never thought it was a possibility. They have almost nothing in common. No. We'll keep her. And the other thing was that he really thought, what difference does it make a child is a child. It was a different way of living, one that she admires. She even had the exact same oil painting hanging on her wall in California as they had in their living room, a landscape with trees and water. I only had one daughter and she had five daughters. Yes. And then they go right to do that. That could be my sister. Well, when your husband said to you, this baby's cute, let's keep it. Jun can't pick up dinos with argentavis. She wasn't trying to be hurtful after all those years. You know, it's like I'm a teenager again and nobody danced with me. Our other children had dark hair and all needed glasses for nearsightedness. Forty two years after the switch, Reverend Miller finally laid eyes on Sue at the McDonald's wedding anniversary party. And when I think of my mother, I think of her. And she told somebody that I was crazy. This is Sue reading a letter she got some time ago from her new found Miller sister Faith, though there are many, many good things about our family and parents and being raised by that family. Did you feel that then after this happened a little bit closer to your dad than your mom? And when Bob found out about Marti, found out that she was his biological sister, he called her right away in California. So I dropped the mix up baby pursuit as Martha grew. One thing Mrs. Miller doesn't regret is raising Marty. And she'd keep us laughing. And he did, in fact, say some hurtful things. It's pretty rare that Marty and Sue actually meet face to face once every few years, they get together for a large family gathering a wedding, a graduation, a funeral. But she didn't call them right away. She figured if she could simply get Kate a look at Marti Caywood figure things out, the evening just ended up being kind of baffling for everyone involved. On a summer day in 1951, two baby girls were born in a hospital in small-town Wisconsin. Because that was terrible to have that hanging over you all of the time. Mr. Miller died in 2000. this american life switched at birth transcript. She wanted to be a part of a big family. We're devoting the full hour today to what happened to these two families. She said everybody kind of at church, after having seen Marty beside the rest of the family, just couldn't believe that that was their child. They understand why she didn't speak out sooner. Between ourselves, Ruth and me, we, or at least I, always figured you lucked out. I just couldn't believe it. And we think so much alike. When Marty showed up at the house for brunch the day after the wedding, she couldn't have seemed more at home with the family that she didn't meet until her 40s. So she's excited about it. I didn't want to have a disagreement like that with him, because that would have ruined our marriage. When Sue arrived, she slipped in quietly. And he was very angry at first with me. Rudy had a couple of beers. Store; Subscribe to our newsletter. Mr. McDonald had a bad heart and she didn't know what the stress would do to him. That's what I'm talking about. And he did, in fact, say some hurtful things. I was just like, wow. It was bad. And things are good with Mrs. Miller too. The same plot device appears in the Freeform TV series Switched at Birth, which aired its series finale in April after five seasons. But in the end, she made the trip, because she's a Miller and so is Sue, and she's a McDonald and so is Sue. She had joked every day, and you keep us laughing. His heart was elsewhere. But I feel I must get this out in the open, so you two know how wonderful that you both are Christians and great workers in the church. So then she found out she had all of these, um, brothers and sisters and the phone calls were fewer. And like my dad said, you know, you are my child. And I wanted to be a cheerleader. Blood tests were done with the Millers and they proved Mrs. Miller was right about the switch. How the truth changed two families' livesand how it didn't. Reverend Miller had once been pastor there. The other problem for Marty was how to approach the McDonald's for biological parents. As years went by, when there were family events with everyone, Sue would get anxious if Marti was there too. I really only thought about that one time. Jake Halpern, he's the host of the new podcast Deep Cover, about an FBI agent who goes undercover with an outlaw motorcycle gang. There is so much going on with the hospital switch, new boyfriends every week, friend drama, sport drama, parental drama, rebelling drama mixed in with occasional sign language use and . Music help from Jessica Hopper. That's Sue. They knew Reverend Miller. But it was hard, Marti says, to be on the receiving end of this sudden adamant truth-telling. So he did know it too. It was pretty concealed right within our own church. I know that's who's your daughter and no one could ever expect you to feel otherwise. This is not my my family. I don't have any idea. One, she wasn't going to become estranged from her mother. And before we start, just to help you keep everybody straight in this story, a quick overview of the two families. He is an evangelical preacher, you know, he wants people to know Jesus Christ and that they would be saved. It's hard enough to learn that your mother isn't your mother, but it's even harder when that news is delivered by someone like Mrs. Miller. And the feeling in their house was very different from the feeling in the Miller's house. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized, you know, I can't think about this, because it'll drive me crazy if I do. This episode, Switched at birth, is the episode they name. Mrs. Miller's most ambitious scheme happened after the girls graduated from high school, when they were about to be 18. So I passed it off. As for Marty, she doesn't like to dwell on the notion that Sue might have been the one who lucked out. At just 20, Rita knew what she was in for. The. I can still wonder why and probably never will know why it didn't come up any sooner. I mean, the my kids are all serious about their life yet, no, they're more like I am before when I'd asked you if you thought it was God's will. This was the side of the family she was raised with, but she seemed tense, watching as Marty made the rounds, everybody laughing, having the two of them so near each other was a little awkward. Thanks, and Jesus lead you in this time. This American Life: Switched at Birth Ep. And my mother's like, what happened to my life? She was losing blood and having spasms. Exactly. Oh, that's a funny question. That's all we can do. Years later, when she got the letter that told her the truth, she was stunned and she knew she had to break the news to the McDonald's who raised her, but she didn't call them right away. They are more like I am. Do let me hear from you. But it took a while for us to-- how are you going to think? I said, am I adopted? Dear Sue, I'm writing you this short note to officially give you my welcome to this Miller family and relationship. It's really nice to meet you. That's what I was thinking. 10. She brought happiness. I don't think that they ever came to watch me cheer in a game. Happy 43rd birthday to you too. All sorts of interesting people came to the house, guests from out of town and missionaries. Sometimes my mom thinks I'm a little fanatical. What Kay McDonald didn't know was that there was a whole slew of people in her church community who had heard about the rumored baby switch from the beginning. How did you feel when he said this was God's will? This is my mom and dad. But even she never divulged the secret to Bob or any of the McDonalds. Two teenage girls' lives are turned upside down when they find out they were switched at birth. That I had been switched and that I had different genes and my parents kept talking about these people that were so odd, the Millers, because they. That's in a minute, from Chicago Public Radio, when our program continues. I remember talking to Mother about, you know, this is your blood daughter.