Childhood friends reunited as life-changing DNA test reveals they’re long-lost sisters
Two woman who met as teenagers and became childhood friends have discovered they are biological sisters, 40 years after they were adopted from orphanages in India.
Meena Geltink, 43, and Minal Tijssen, 44, were raised by seperate adoptive families in the Netherlands, living around 100 miles apart.
Neither knew she had a sister, according to Reuters.
The pair first met at a 1996 gathering for adopted children. They quickly formed a close bond, with friends commenting on how similar they looked.
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They exchanged addresses and even joked about being 'sis' in messages, without knowing just how accurate that nickname would prove.
After a while, their friendship eventually faded, and they spent 15 years without contact after falling out-of-touch.
How did Meena Geltink and Minal Tijssen find out they were sisters?
Then, in April, a MyHeritage DNA test delivered an answer neither woman had been expecting, the results showing a 100% sibling match.
Tijssen, who lives in France with her partner and their two sons, was sitting on her couch when a notification pinged on her phone, saying that her DNA results were ready.
The results were clear - Mina was her sister. At first though, she didn't connect the dots.
She later found Geltink on social media and looked through her photos, realising the childhood friend she had one called 'sis' was actually her sister
"We were sisters the whole time, but we didn't know."
"I couldn't believe it," Tijssen said. Geltink said the discovery helped explain a feeling she had carried for years.
She described having a sense that something was missing from her life, despite being a mother of three.
"For years, I felt a hole in my heart," she said, adding that finding her sister felt like discovering a missing piece
The Woman have now reunited in the Netherlands, where they met in person for the first time since learning the truth.
Their reunion in 's-Hertogenbosch on Tuesday included hugs, tears, laughter and more than a couple of cheeky selfies.
Geltink told Tijssen: “When I see you, it’s like I’m home.”
“When I see you, it’s like I’m home.”
The pair also reflecting on the extraordinary realisation that they had known each other 15 years ago, before either of them realised that they were biological sisters.
"We were friends before we were sisters," Tijssen said. "We were sisters the whole time, but we didn't know."
Since recieving the DNA results, the sisters have stayed closely connected, spending hours each day talking and messaging.
For Tijssen, the discovery has also answered a question she had carried throughout her life. She said she had no information about her birth relatives and had experienced a deep sense of loneliness while growing up, although she also felt loved by her adoptive parents and siblings.
Both women had grown up without knowing about the other, despite being raised relatively close to one another in the Netherlands.
Their lives followed separate paths, with Tijssen eventually moving to France while Geltink remained in the Netherlands.
Topics: Netherlands, Life, Features, World News
Thomas Bamford