A man from Long Island, Kevin McMahon, discovered the truth about his origins after a family joke led him to examine his past. Growing up, Kevin always felt like the odd one out in his family, with his distinct appearance—darker skin and curly hair—standing in contrast to his siblings, who had fair skin and straight hair. It wasn’t until he underwent DNA testing that the reality of his birth circumstances came to light.
Kevin recounted to CBS how his siblings would joke, “You were the mailman’s kid,” further emphasizing his feelings of difference within his family dynamic.
Throughout his childhood, McMahon felt unloved by his caregivers. His mother struggled with alcoholism, and his father believed she had been unfaithful, resulting in McMahon’s birth. This suspicion led to a sense of neglect and isolation during his upbringing.
“My siblings joked that, ‘You were the mailman’s kid. He doesn’t look anything like us’. My younger siblings were fair skinned, straight haired, blue eyed with freckles,” McMahon shared.
McMahon’s life story took a dramatic turn when he used Ancestry.com and uncovered the truth about his origins. Despite a challenging upbringing, Kevin has built a life for himself in telecommunications, is married, and has a 21-year-old daughter.
At 64 years old, he finally learned that he had been switched at birth. This mix-up occurred when he and another baby, both named McMahon, were born minutes apart at Jamaica Hospital.
Kevin ended up with the biological parents of Ross McMahon, while Ross went home with Kevin’s biological parents. This mix-up had a profound impact on Kevin’s life trajectory.
“There’s no mystery as to what happened. Jamaica Hospital switched the babies and the DNA proves it,” explained McMahon’s attorney, Jeremy Schiowitz.
Kevin described his childhood home as a place of “torment,” where he faced neglect and abuse from his supposed paternal grandmother. She convinced his father that Kevin was the result of an affair by saying, “He’s not my son’s child.”
Reflecting on the hospital’s error, Kevin lamented, “[Jamaica Hospital] made one calamitous mistake, and it just changed the entire course of my life.”
Upon discovering the truth about his biological parents, Kevin found that they shared similar interests. His father was a woodworker, and his mother had a passion for birds. Sadly, the switch prevented him from building a relationship with them.
“I feel I could have shared so much with my parents, with my birth parents, but I didn’t get to do that. It would have changed the whole course of my life,” he expressed.
Through his DNA test, Kevin also learned about a biological brother named Keith and that both his biological and adoptive parents have since passed away.
Now, Kevin is pursuing legal action against the hospital, holding them accountable for the impact of their mistake. “The hospital, when they are in this business, they are playing God. They should be held to a completely different standard,” he asserted.