When Daphna and Alexander Cardinale first saw their newborn baby in September 2019, they immediately noticed that the little girl had darker skin and hair than the rest of the family.
The couple had undergone in vitro fertilization nine months earlier at a specialized clinic in Los Angeles.
Taken with doubts, they decide to do genetic tests.
When the results roll in, both parents are in shock.
Their baby was actually the biological child of another couple, who also received Daphna's fertilized egg at the same time.
The clinic negligently exchanged the two embryos on the day of implantation.
Once the error was revealed, the two couples decided to make contact and exchange their children.
Traumatized, Daphna and Alexander subsequently filed a complaint against the clinic and are now claiming damages.
“The birth of our daughter should have been one of the happiest moments of my life,” says Alexander Cardinale, sobs in his voice.
When the truth came out, swapping the kids made it even more upsetting.
Losing the child you know for the genetic child you don't yet know is truly an impossible nightmare, which will impact my family for the rest of our lives ”.
