Meena Geltink and Minal Tijssen, both born in the early 1980s, were adopted from separate orphanages in Mumbai by different Dutch families and raised near each other in the Netherlands. The two women first encountered each other during their early teenage years at an adoption agency event, where they were immediately struck by their physical resemblance and similar mannerisms. They exchanged contact information and maintained a friendship through letters over the years, often addressing each other as “sister” despite having no knowledge of their biological connection.
The two friends eventually lost touch after approximately 15 years when Minal relocated to France and Meena became occupied with raising her family. In 2017, Meena took a DNA test after learning about genetic testing at an adoptee gathering, though she found no matches at that time. The situation changed in May when Minal reconnected with Meena via Facebook after taking her own DNA test the previous month. When Meena reinstalled her testing application and reviewed the results, the test revealed they were full biological siblings who shared the same parents.
Meena and Minal met in person for the first time since making their discovery in August, describing the reunion as emotionally significant. Minal, who is 44 and resides in France with her partner and two sons, stated that she had not immediately recognized Meena as her childhood friend upon receiving her DNA results. Meena, now 43 and a mother of three, expressed that the confirmation of their biological relationship validated feelings they had carried since their teenage years.
Since their May reconnection, the sisters have been in frequent contact and have begun integrating into each other’s family lives. They have noted that others observe similarities in their physical movements and speech patterns. Both women have expressed a desire to visit India together in the future to explore their shared origins in Mumbai.
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