I ran to the hospital to dig into our birth records. A nurse located my name, my twin’s, and Mom’s in the system. But I froze when she looked up and said,…“…there’s a note here you might want to read.” Her voice was calm, yet gentle, as if she understood the confusion and worry swirling around me. She turned the monitor slightly so I could see. Under the delivery record, highlighted in faded yellow, was a short line: “Temporary evacuation protocol in effect during birth.” I blinked at the words. The nurse explained that on the night my mother gave birth, the hospital had experienced a brief power failure and all newborns were moved to an alternate wing for safety. During the transfer, emergency teams had supervised infants in groups, documenting everything as best they could under rushed conditions. “Your information is accurate,” she said softly, “but there may have been an unexpected mix-up that no one realized at the time.” My heart pounded. Not out of fear—but from the shock of possibilities I had never imagined.Continue reading…
