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Woman who learned at 72 she was switched at birth, dies
In 2018, DNA tests confirmed Denice Juneski and Linda Jourdeans were switched at birth in 1945.
EAGAN, Minn. —
2023 UPDATE:
For the past five years of her life — and only then — did Linda Jourdeans know the truth. Somehow, she’d been switched at birth with another baby at the hospital, leading to both girls growing up in the wrong families.
KARE 11 first reported the story of Linda Jourdeans and Denice Juneski in the spring of 2018. The women had stayed mostly out of the spotlight since.
On Feb. 18, Linda died from acute myeloid leukemia.
ORIGINAL STORY:
PHOTOS: Land of 10,000 Stories: Switched at birth
Denice Juneski and Linda Jourdeans struggle to even come up with a word for the bond they share.
Sisters? Cousins? Nothing seems to apply.
There’s no playbook, after all, for two women in their 70s who’ve just found out they were switched at birth.
“It’s a crazy thing,” Denice said. “People just automatically assume they got the right family.”
Only a few weeks have passed since Denice and Linda learned they didn’t, as infants, go home with the right family.
In the journey that brought them to this strange place, Denice, who lives in Eagan, took the first step.
Already an ancestry buff, the 72-year-old grandmother submitted DNA to the genealogy website 23andMe, hoping to learn more about her health history.
A few weeks later, when her list of DNA relatives arrived, she was taken aback.
“I didn’t match anybody,” she said. Actually, Denice matched several people, but not one name among them she’d ever heard of.
Denice took the test a second time — same result.
“Either 23andMe made a mistake,” Denice concluded, “or I was switched at birth.”
But if Denice had grown up in someone else’s family, who had grown up in hers?
The answer came from 40 miles away, in Hammond, Wisconsin, after Linda’s niece noticed Denice on her own DNA report.
“We believe you’ve been switched at birth,” Linda’s daughter and her husband informed Linda after they, too, were let in on the discovery.
Linda didn’t waste any time. “I did my DNA right away because I’ve got to see this on paper,” she said.
The DNA provided the proof. A 72-year secret had been uncovered.
Denice and Linda quickly put together the pieces.
In the early morning hours of Dec. 19, 1945, at Bethesda Hospital in St. Paul, two baby girls were born: Denice Mary Mayer at 2:17 a.m. and Linda Jean Nielsen, 31 minutes later.
How exactly they were switched, is probably lost to the ages.
“We’ll never know,” Linda said, “and I’m sure the nurses are dead that probably took care of us.”
This is what’s known: For 72 years, Denice and Linda have unknowingly walked in each other’s footsteps.
Family photos offer anecdotal support for the DNA’s scientific conclusion. Linda, the redhead, is pictured growing up in a family of blondes, while Denice, the blonde, is surrounded by brunettes and redheads in pictures with her siblings and cousins.
Denice, lacking both stamina and coordination, found herself in a family of athletes.
For years, her father played baseball around the Twin Cities, including a stint with the St. Paul Saints. Her brother was a ballplayer, too. Denice’s sister is in the Minnesota Softball Hall of Fame.
“Sometimes I had that sense that I didn’t quite fit in,” Denice said.
But Linda would have fit in quite nicely. The only athlete in her family, Linda played softball into her 50s.
For seven decades they’d been living each other’s life, even answering to each other’s name.
“I was really supposed to be another person,” Denice said.
Linda’s daughter, Michelle, may have been the least surprised. “You don’t look like the rest,” she used to tell her mother. In 2002, she went as far as checking public birth records but eventually dropped her pursuit.
Since finding each other in April, Denice and Linda have met several times, and now, they realize they do have someone in common. At 99 and in memory care, Marianne Mayer is now getting visits from Denice, the daughter she raised, and Linda, the daughter to whom she gave birth.
The women retell the story on every visit. Marianne seems accepting of what happened and enjoys the company of both.
“Now you have more grandchildren — red-haired ones,” Denice says, as mother and daughters share a laugh.
Rochelle Nielsen, the other mother in the hospital that 1945 morning, died of cancer at 42.
“She’s been gone so long,” Linda says, wiping away tears.
At 17, Linda lost a mother. At 72, she found another.
“Unbelievable,” Linda says.
Despite the shock, Denice and Linda agreed it was better to find out about the mistake than remain in the dark.
Denice says good things are already coming of it. “I consider it a gift,” she said.
They’ve begun meeting the families to which they should have belonged. Later this month, members of both families plan to attend a reunion where the introductions will continue.
As for what to call the bond that now connects them, “We’re just new friends,” Linda said, as Denice nods in agreement.
You’d probably be friends too with the person who’s been tending to your life.
PHOTOS: Women switched at birth 72 years ago update
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EDINA, Minn. — The Edina football team fell just a few yards short of winning the Minnesota State 6A Football Championship last season.
Coach Jason Potts and his team are off to a great start again this fall — and hoping to make it back to US Bank Stadium.
But at the end of the day, the Hornets said it’s the journey of one of their teammates that inspires them to keep moving forward.
“All of the doctors that I’ve had in the past doubted me a lot. It felt good to finally put on pads for the first time,” said Edina junior John Liddicoat.
Friday nights in the fall illuminate the beauty of a dream being achieved.
“I love the feeling of Friday night. Looking at the student section right before running out the tunnel, getting that adrenaline rush,” said Liddicoat.
For Liddicoat, Fridays at Kuhlman Stadium transform into a canvas of joy, inspiration and bravery.
“He’s one of the most brave guys that I’ve ever coached,” said Potts.
Pushing limits is something John has done since day one.
“John was diagnosed with Williams syndrome when he was 5 months old,” said Mary Liddicoat, John’s Mom.
“It was devastating. We were devastated. We’d never heard of the syndrome, and he was super little and it was super scary,” she added.
Williams syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that impacts many parts of the body, including cognitive delay, speech and motor skills.
“The day he was diagnosed, the geneticist said he’ll never ride a bike, and I think we both made a mental note: We’ll see,” said Liddicoat’s dad, also named John. “He can ride a bike; he didn’t learn at 3 like his brother, but he learned at 10 and he says it’s his mode of transportation now.”
John handled the handlebars… up next? A bigger challenge to tackle.
“It’s kind of a big dream of mine when I was younger to play football,” said John.
“More than any other sport, he’s always wanted to play football. Every year, when I would drive him to school, and the register for tackle football youth football signs would go up, and John would look at me in the car and say, ‘Mom, I want to play football!’ And I would say, ‘We’re not sure that’s a safe option for you,'” said Mary.
Safety concerns gave way to John’s bravery and a coach who refused to say “no” to a kid’s dream.
“One of my goals is to have access to a football program for everybody, and I didn’t want any excuses for someone to not play football, and that’s why I’m here at Edina, is to help young people chase their greatest potential,” said Potts.
“Putting on pads for the first time. Putting on a helmet for the first time. Just getting on the field, seeing my buddies, it was just a wow moment. Like, wow, I’m in pads and cleats, I’m playing football!” said John.
For the past three years, John has played football alongside his brothers, like QB Mason West.
“I’ve known him since probably first grade, and ever since, he’s just been a really smiley and happy dude. It’s honestly really fun to be around him. All of my friends love him, and it’s so good having him as part of this team,” said West.
“Just to have him on the field in the program is something special, and what he accomplishes, I don’t think he understands what he brings to the program,” said Potts.
John’s enthusiasm radiates along the sidelines every Friday night, starring in his role, encouraging teammates and coaches alike.
“You know, I might get down on myself and maybe I made a bad play call or geez, it’s raining — what do we do? And all of the sudden, you bump into John, and he just kind of flips you. And he does that to other players as well. When things get tough, it’s like you bump into John, and he’s there to lift you,” said Potts.
Lifting and inspiring others to achieve their dreams as well.
“I like to play for the other kids with disabilities that can’t do much. For me, I see kids with worse disabilities than mine, and I always feel like I need to show the world that not only can kids with disabilities do stuff, but they can play high-impact sports like football or wrestling or whatever sport they want to do,” said John.
MINNEAPOLIS — There’s a new hi-tech way for visitors to learn about downtown Minneapolis.
City officials on Wednesday cut the ribbon on new kiosks called “IKE.” They’re loaded with information so users can search for restaurants, small businesses, bathrooms and events in the area.
Unlike using a major search engine like Google, this is all tailored for Minneapolis.
“Each kiosk is going to organize based on proximity. So unlike traditional search engines that you might work with, you can’t pay for optimization. So when you select eat and drink here, the businesses in the immediate proximity end up being featured. And we hope that this functions as a way to help people discover those businesses that make Minneapolis truly unique,” said Jibran Shermohammed of IKE Smart City.
Five kiosks are live now, including one on Nicollet Mall and 20 will go live will go live by spring next year.
More than 100,000 travelers will fly out of MSP Wednesday and Thursday, but thousands more are planning a ‘staycation’ over MEA break.
LAKEVILLE, Minn. — At MSP airport, officials say Wednesday and Thursday will be the two busiest days for departures during MEA break this year. More than 49,000 travelers are expected to fly out of MSP on Wednesday, and more than 52,000 are expected to depart on Thursday. Airport officials say Thursday could become the 5th busiest travel day ever.
Meanwhile, countless families in Minnesota are planning “staycations” closer to home. At Applewood Orchard in Lakeville, workers are preparing for a busy week.
“We’re really looking forward to seeing the turnout,” employee Jackson Cox said. “If the turnout is a little lower than we think it’s always better to be prepared for more.”
The Cox family recently acquired the apple orchard, so this will be their first time hosting visitors during an MEA break.
“We’re pretty much extending all of our weekend activities to every day this week. We’re selling mini donuts, tractor rides, and more food, because we are hoping a lot of people will stop by,” Cox said.
One visitor who stopped by Wednesday was Natasha Apple from Apple Valley. That’s right, the word apple is in her name, the city she lives in, and the place she visited Wednesday afternoon.
“You really can’t make that up,” Apple laughed. “Me and my husband get it all the time. We’re the Apples and we live in Apple Valley, and we love apple orchards.”
Apple was visiting the orchard with a mom’s group from Apple Valley.
“There are eight of us here I believe,” Apple said. “It’s still stinking beautiful out so we are taking full advantage of the weather.”
And they weren’t alone at the orchard. Jenny Yohnke from Lakeville stopped by the orchard with her three boys.
“With three boys they have a lot of energy, so I brought them to the corn pit to have some fun,” Yohnke said.
She has big plans for the rest of MEA break.
“We’re heading out to the zoo tomorrow and then we have some friends with school kids, my friend from work coming to visit on Friday. We have a busy week of fun,” Yohnke said.
Other parents at the orchard said they are planning to stop by a pumpkin patch later in the week to buy their Halloween pumpkins.
Another common “staycation” idea was to enjoy a nature hike to see the fall colors, or to go to the movie theater to see a movie, or stop by the local library.
So, if you’re looking for a fun and affordable activity to get your family out of the house there are several options to choose from.
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