Friends for 30 Years Discover They Are Actually Sisters

They met in 1996 as teenagers at a gathering for adoptees. It was an instant bond between Dutch women Meena Geltink (43) and Minal Tijssen (44). A recent DNA test has now revealed why the two recognized so much in each other: they are full biological sisters.

The realization is emotional. "For years there was an emptiness in my heart," says Geltink. "It's as if I have now found the missing piece."

After difficult starts in different orphanages in India, both were adopted by Dutch families, unknowingly growing up just over 130 kilometers apart - one in Wilp, the other in Made.

As they grew older the two drifted somewhat apart: they found partners, became mothers, and Tijssen emigrated to France. Then in April she took a DNA test through a commercial online database, and everything changed.

"I saw: Meena, sister. At first I didn't even realize it was the Meena I knew," Tijssen says. She immediately messaged Geltink, who had been searching the database for biological relatives since 2017.

This week the two met again after fifteen years, together with their partners, in Den Bosch. They are sad about the important moments they missed in each other's lives, but overjoyed to now continue as sisters. "A part of me has always felt lonely," Tijssen says. "I always hoped I would find biological family, especially brothers or sisters. Now this happened. I felt inside that I would no longer be alone." "I finally feel complete," Geltink adds.