Being switched at birth is a rare occurrence – but it’s something two UK women are now coming to terms with after making the startling discovery.

The women – both from the Midlands area of ​​England – learned they went to different parents after being born in the same hospital in 1967, in the first documented incident of babies being moved at birth by the National Health Service (NHS) from the UK, according to the data. BBC.

It all started when a man named Tony took a DNA test kit home for Christmas in 2021. The results confirmed he had a sister, but named someone other than the brother he grew up with. Tony told the media that he had contacted the woman, who the BBC identified as Claire, asking for clarification about the DNA test.

Claire told the media that she took the test two years ago and it revealed no connection to where her parents were born and a genetic connection to a family member she did not know.

After texting back and forth, Claire and Tony learn that Tony’s sister, who goes by the alias Jessica, and Claire were both born in the same hospital some 55 years ago. They began to believe that they were switched at birth.

NHS did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on the incident.

However, the health system told the BBC in response to a Freedom of Information request that there were no documented incidents in its records of children being sent home with the wrong parents.

Never miss a story – sign up PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to keep up with everything PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Claire told the media that she opted to meet the family she originally thought she was born into, saying: “I just wanted to see them, meet them, talk to them and hug them.”

Claire said that when she finally drove to Tony and Joan’s mother’s house – located in a village she often drove through to get to work – the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. the latter in their place.

“I looked at (Joan) and said, ‘Oh my God, I have your eyes!’ We have the same eyes. God, I look like someone! ” Claire recalled to the BBC.

“It felt good,” added Joan. “I thought, ‘He looks just like me in my youth.’ ”

Claire also said she realized she was a day older than she actually was because she was born a few hours earlier than she originally thought. “My birth certificate is wrong, my passport, my driver’s license — everything is wrong,” she told the media.

Following the discovery, Tony contacted the NHS trust which oversees the hospital where the two women were born. NHS Resolution told the BBC the incident was a “terrible mistake” and accepted legal liability. It also noted that it was still working on the amount of compensation due as it was a “unique and complex case”.