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Adopted from India as kids, childhood friends discover they are actually sisters: ‘When I see you, it's like I'm home’

Adopted from India as children, two former teenage friends lost touch for years before discovering they are long-lost sisters.

Updated on: Aug 13, 2026, 16:38:26 IST
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Adopted from India as children, two former teenage friends who drifted apart recently reunited—only to realise they are actually biological sisters. It all happened when one of them decided to get a DNA test.

Indian-born women Meena Geltink, 43, and Minal Tijssen, 44, adopted separately as babies and raised near each other in the Netherlands. (REUTERS)
Indian-born women Meena Geltink, 43, and Minal Tijssen, 44, adopted separately as babies and raised near each other in the Netherlands. (REUTERS)

As teenagers in 1996, Meena and Minal never knew they had a sibling, Reuters reported.

Also Read: ‘I was just 14 when I first decided to adopt’: Single mother on raising her daughter

How did they become friends?

Reuters reported that as teens, they crossed paths in an event for adopted children while living about 130 km away from each other. Soon after meeting, they felt a strong connection. In fact, their friends were amazed at how similar the two were.

Soon they became friends and exchanged addresses. However, they lost touch for 15 years, until they rediscovered each other through a MyHeritage DNA test, which showed a rare 100% match.

Emotional reunion

Indian-born women Meena Geltink, 43, and Minal Tijssen, 44.

She met her sister in the Netherlands. After the emotional reunion, she told her sister, “When I see you, it's like I'm home.”

Also Read: Twins adopted by separate families become best friends then discover they’re sisters

While 43-year-old Meena is a mother of three, her sister, 44-year-old Minal Tijssen, grew up in a loving Dutch household with siblings.

"We were friends before we were sisters," Minal said. "We were sisters the whole time, but we didn't know.”

 
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