It is a pleasure to write the acknowledgments at the close of this excursion into the lives and dreams of four such amazing young men. Jorge, William, Carlos, and Wilber experienced an extraordinary, life-changing event that brought shock, uncertainty, questioning, and ultimately resolution, not to mention a few tears. Each twin handled his unique situation with grace and understanding, enabling them to come together as a true band of brothers. Their families and friends were warm and welcoming, generously sharing their observations and reflections about an event that radically revised what they had always believed to be true.
I am thankful to my coauthor, Yesika Montoya, who alerted me to this most unusual case of switched-at-birth twins. She was a marvelous collaborator during our trip to Bogotá in 2015 and continued to be in the months that followed.
Accidental Brothers went through several early drafts en route to its final form. I completed my fifth literary venture under the keen eye of my friend and colleague Lauren Gonzalez, who provided her usual insights into the material while offering great suggestions for the versions that followed. Michael Harvkey, the best-ever online instructor from the Gotham Writers Workshop, provided superb critical advice, offline at last. My boyfriend, Professor Craig K. Ihara, who came up with the title for this book, added perspective and polish to the final and “final final” versions. Dr. Cheryl Crippen, my newest friend and psychology colleague at California State University, Fullerton, was a reviewer par excellence, and I believe she has found a new calling.
Carol Mann and her staff at the Carol Mann Agency, especially Isabella Ruggiero, Kat Manos, and Maile Beal, were enthusiastic and dedicated throughout. I am especially grateful to Elizabeth Knoll, my former editor at Harvard University Press, for putting us in touch. Carol is responsible for getting the book to St. Martin’s Press, especially to Karen Wolny, senior editor extraordinaire. Karen’s immediate recognition of the scientific import and human interest of the twins’ story allowed her to skillfully guide me through the organization, presentation, and deep editing of the material. She did not rest until I reached the stage at which “the book writes itself,” a phase that I understand and appreciate because of her. Assistant editor Laura Apperson and senior production editor Donna Cherry at St. Martin’s Press were helpful and insightful throughout the entire process. And the publicity team of Katie Bassel, Kimberly Lew, and Laura Clark still overflows with knowledge and support.
I am indebted to Ilena Silverman, features editor, and Jake Silverstein, editor in chief, of the New York Times Magazine for appreciating the significance and uniqueness of the twins’ story when I brought it to their attention. They arranged for their staff writer, Susan Dominus, and photographers, Stefan Ruiz and Patrick Lyn, to cover our 2015 visit, resulting in the magazine’s wonderful cover story on July 12 of that year. Associate photo editor Stacey Baker was helpful in every way possible.
Francisco Bernate, an attorney, facilitated the initial contact with the twins. Dr. Juan J. Yunis, medical geneticist at Servicios Médicos Yunis Turbay y Cia in Bogotá, offered new insights into the biological and societal significance of this case. The twins’ lawyers, Carlos Eduardo Medellín Becerra, his nephew Pablo Medellín Becerra, and his daughter Adriana Medellín Cano, at the Bogotá law firm Medellín Martínez Durán Abogados, generously shared their perspectives and plans in connection with this once-in-a-lifetime case. They also allowed us the use of their beautifully appointed law offices for interviewing the twins and some family members. The interpreters Alexandra Yang and Alberto Orjuela were professional and proficient, and both developed close personal ties to the twins that continue to this day.
The staff at the Rosales Plaza Hotel was unfailingly accommodating, providing conference rooms for occasional testing, offering unlimited supplies of pens, and allowing full access to the copy machine when we desperately needed to have the twins respond to one more survey. My colleague David Gallardo-Pujol, of the University of Barcelona, forwarded several Spanish-language psychological protocols and scoring programs that facilitated the research. Yesika’s father, Hernando Montoya, arranged our visit to the Hospital Materno Infantil, and staff there and at the Hospital Regional de Vélez showed us their newborn baby facilities and variously shared information about conditions in the nursery that may have led to the switch of the twins. Yesika’s sister Alexandra Montoya, Colombia’s celebrity impersonator who is now an attorney, helped with transportation, contacts, and other aspects of our visit too numerous to name.
My colleagues and students at CSU Fullerton were a great source of inspiration and assistance. Professor André Zampaulo, of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, and Claudia Acosta, of the Department of Instructional Design and Technology, translated documents, records, and popular media. Professor Aaron Lukaszewski of the Department of Psychology reviewed selected portions of the manuscript, Professor John Patton provided calipers and other anthropometric tools for recording body measurements of the twins, and Professor Stephen Neufeld of the Department of History provided comments and sources on historical matter. Other contributors include Amanda Killian, a former member of the faculty; Linda Pabon, graduate secretary in the Department of Psychology; and the students Brittney Hernandez, Hannah Bojorquez, Lisette Bohorquez, Jaime Muñoz-Velázquez, Erika Becker, and Erika Orozco. Accidental Brothers also benefited from my conversations with Professor Ray Williams and his graduate student Valentín González-BohÓrquez at the University of California, Riverside, and Professor James Alstrum at Illinois State University. My Australian colleagues Dr. Jeffrey Craig and Dr. Yuk Loke were instrumental in the epigenetic analyses and interpretation reported here and elsewhere, my Canadian colleague Professor P. Tony Vernon offered insights and advice, and my Spanish colleague Dr. María del Mar Gil translated the twins’ birth record. Jessica Crespo, MBA, professional translator and interpreter from Gran Canaria, Spain, translated selected interview material. Yesika’s former instructor in Bogotá Ligia Gómez and Ligia’s colleague Diana Ramos administered general intelligence tests to the twins prior to our arrival.
Mabel Terrero, Yesika’s student at Columbia University, assisted Yesika in the preparation of the genograms. The graphic artist Kelly Donovan at CSU Fullerton, who is an identical twin, added her usual magic to the photographs and charts that appear in the book.
Kevin Haroian, of the Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research, conducted the twin type analyses based on fingerprint and body size. The late professor Irving I. Gottesman, also of the University of Minnesota, to whom this book is dedicated, was a great source of encouragement, inspiration, and advice, and I only wish he were around to see the final product. My friend and colleague Dr. Milton Diamond, of the University of Hawaii, reviewed passages related to gender identity and development. Professor Cecil Reynolds, of Texas A&M University, and Dr. Julia Hickman, clinical psychologist, evaluated the twins’ drawings, and the handwriting consultant Eileen Page compared their penmanship.
Meeting the twins and their family members was an unforgettable experience. Each added an indelible entry to our understanding of how genetic factors and life circumstances make us who we are.