A man who was swapped with another child at birth has admitted he resents his mum for not switching him back after growing up in a poor family while his 'brother' experienced a 'rich' childhood.
Robin and Gavin were accidentally given to the wrong mothers by a nurse at Nigel Hospital in Johannesburg where they were the only two babies born on that day in February 1989.
It meant Robin was raised by single mum Sandy Dawkins who was struggling to get by on the outskirts of the South African city while Gavin grew up with wealthier parent Megs Clinton Parker in Pietermaritzburg.
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The mistake was not uncovered until two years later when a disagreement over Gavin's rightful father led to a DNA test, reports the Daily Mirror.
Hospital records further confirmed that Robin was Megs' biological son who was growing up with Sandy as his mother.
However, when faced with the prospect of swapping their birth sons back, they instead chose to keep the children they had raised since birth.
Speaking at the time, one of the parents told 60 Minutes Australia: "You can't reject a child that you've been so close to for two years.
"Initially I think you protect the one you've got. The first few days are shock, then the curiosity comes. Where's my baby?"
The boys grew up 500km apart in very different environments and referred to each other as brothers.
But Robin has since admitted that he wishes his biological mother fought to switch him back.
Speaking at age 15, he said he had "difficulty accepting the situation" and misses his mother Megs "awfully a lot" who he speaks to daily on the phone.
He told how life with Sandy was "not easy" and that he resented Gavin who does "get things easy."
"If I've ever wanted something, I've had to work towards it. I’ve never just had it come towards me," he added.
At the time, Gavin described being “happy” with the life he was accidentally given and that he did not feel sorry for Robin.
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He said: “Saying I thank my lucky stars every day would be wrong but at the same time I was given a life which I’ve now lived and I’m still living and I don’t regret anything."
The boys' mothers embraced one another like sisters after discovering the mistake in 1991 but chose not to swap the boys back.
But Megs missed her biological son and encouraged him to move halfway across the country to her home with Gavin in 2004, leaving Sandy without a child.
Speaking at the time, Sandy said: “I just want to know she’s really happy with what she’s achieved.
“I mean she’s ruined people’s lives, there’s just no other way to look at it… she’s ruined mine for starters.”
