The popular radio show “The American Life” will showcase the story of two girls accidentally switched at birth at a Prairie du Chien, Wis. hospital.
Martha Miller and Susan McDonald left the Old San Hospital with the wrong families in the summer of 1951 only to discover this fact after a long 43 years. One of the mothers, Mary Miller, could guess that she was not handed the right baby as she weighed less than what she weighed at hospital and behaved quite differently from the rest of her children. However, she did not take any initiative and kept mum.
The radio show is a an hour long documentary with four chapters from the two mothers, Mary Miller and Kay McDonald; and the two daughters Martha Colwell and Susan Boutni.
Sarah Koening, producer of the show “The American Life” said that all of them very honest about what happened with them. "I think there is something so powerful about biological connections," she said. "I think both girls always felt a little different in their families, growing up."
The show was aired at 3 p.m. Saturday and 8 p.m. Sunday on Minnesota Public Radio 91.1- FM.
2 comments:
I listened to this episode completely horrified. Horrified. Very strange and sad. Shame on the Millers in this story, Mr. and Mrs. Miller deserve all the shame we can heap upon them.
Just heard this podcast, and Amen to Patrick's statement.
I was raised a generation after these women in a family even more conservative than the Millers. For me, it's easy to envision Reverend Miller's dogmatism, Mrs. Miller's compliance/submission/resignation, the official family stance of openness to children challenging parents coupled with insidious demands of loyalty. And Reverend Miller's use of "G-d's will" to justify his own self-centered choices is all too familiar. As is parental sense of entitlement to changing adult ofsprings' legal names.
According to the show as edited, Mrs. Miller never challenged her husband: she only wrote the letters after Reverend Miller saw Susan and agreed that she must be their biological daughter.
Behavior like Reverend and Mrs. Miller's makes me wish I still believed in h-ll, so I'd be able to imagine they'd reap what they sowed.
Post a Comment