Being changed at birth is a rare phenomenon – but it’s something two British women are now accepting after making this surprising discovery.

The women – both from the Midlands region of England – discovered they had gone to different parents after being born in the same hospital in 1967 in the first documented incident of babies being swapped at birth by the National Health Service (NHS) of the United Kingdom, according to BBC.

It all started when a man named Tony picked up a home DNA testing kit for Christmas 2021. The results confirmed he had a sister, but named someone other than the one he grew up with. Tony told the outlet he contacted the woman, who the BBC identified as Claire, to ask for clarification about the DNA test.

Claire told the outlet she took the test two years ago and it revealed no connection to her parents’ birthplace and a genetic link to a family member she didn’t know .

After exchanging messages, Claire and Tony discovered that Tony’s sister, going by the pseudonym Jessica, and Claire were both born in the same hospital around the same time, 55 years ago. They began to believe that they had been switched at birth.

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

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

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

Claire said that when she finally made it to the home of Tony and his mother Joan – located in a village she often happened to pass through on her way to work – the pieces of the puzzle finally fell into place.

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

“It was just good,” Joan added. “I thought, ‘She looked exactly like I did when I was younger.’ »

Claire also said she realized she was a day older than she actually was, as she was born a few hours earlier than she initially thought. “My birth certificate is wrong, my passport, my driving license, everything is wrong,” she told the outlet.

Following this discovery, Tony contacted the NHS Trust which oversees the hospital where the two women were born. The NHS resolution told the BBC the incident was an “appalling mistake” and accepted legal responsibility. He also said he was still working on the amount of compensation owed because it was a “unique and complex case.”