A dying nurse from Zambia, is claiming that she switched more than 5000 babies at birth throughout her 12 year career.

Whilst shocking, her deathbed confession is sparking a debate as to whether or not it’s actually true.

“I wish to confess my sins before God and before all the affected people especially those who were giving birth at UTH [a hospital in Zambia] during my service,” Elizabeth Bwalya Mwewa told the Zambian Observer. “If you were born in UTH between the years 1983 to 1995 chances are your parents may not be your biological parents. I developed a habit of swapping newly born babies just for fun.”

The nurse, who is dying of terminal cancer, went on to caution,

“Take a good look at your siblings. If, for example, everyone is light and you are dark… you are that child and I am really sorry for that.”

Asking for forgiveness, she went on, “I have caused many mothers to breastfeed children who are not theirs biologically. I don’t want to go to hell for that.”

However, according to Snopes.com, for the nurses claim to be accurate, she would have needed to swap a baby every day for 13 years on the trot. Surely she couldn’t have done that without any parents or hospital staff noticing?

Furthermore, following the start of an investigation, the General Nursing Council of Zambia found “that no midwife by that name ever existed,” reports the Lusaka Times. Apparently, one of the pictures associated with the nurse and her claims in the Zambian Observer was found to be a photo of a random Zimbabwean nurse who is now living in Ohio!

It’s certainly far fetched. But whether it’s true or not it does make you wonder whether this kind of ‘mix up’ is possible?