Two girls who were bestfriends in an orphanage in China found themselves in the same hospital in the U.S. as they were being treated for a common genetic blood disease.

Mae and Mai spent their toddler years in an orphanage in Southern China and were inseparable as bestfriends. They ate and played together. But in November, 2011, Mae was adopted by a family in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Leaving her bestfriend Mai in the orphanage brought so much sadness to Mae. For the next three and a half years, she kept asking her foster parents, Byan and Robin Rainey, if she would ever see "Sing-Sing" again.

The couple had no way of knowing how Mae's wish could be granted. Mae was not their adopted daughter's name in China. It was only a name they gave to her after the adoption process.

Then fate smiled on the two children. This week, four years after they were separated, Mae and Mai were reunited in Oakland.

It was not coincidence that brought them together, but the sheer effort of their foster parents.

It turns out that Mai herself was adopted by an American woman, Heather Frandsen, in May, 2013 in Madera, California. By a co-incidence, Heather had named her child from China "Mai," taking after Heather's own grandmother.

What made the little girls find one another was not due to the serious intention of the Raineys to find "Sing-Sing."

Both Mae and Mai have thalassemia, a blood disorder that disrupts the body's ability to make the hemoglobin, which carries oxygen in red blood cells. Kids with this kind of ailment can become severely anemic and require regular blood transfusions.

A year or two after Mae came to the United States, her body began to reject drugs that treat thalassemia. The doctors said she would need a bone marrow transplant to cure the genetic blood disease.

The Raineys became active in an organization that encouraged the donation of bone marrows. Somebody posted on Facebook a link to a television report about them the campaign.

A friend of Heather had noticed that the featured girl, Mae, came from the same region as Heather's little girl. The friend mentioned the similarity of the two kids to Heather, who became curious and later exchanged photos with the Raineys online.

When she saw the Mai's picture, Mae instantly recognized her bestfriend. Mai was able to quickly identify Mae's face on the photo.

The girls met online in November last year. The two were initially very shy and quiet, so the parents deemed it right the girls should see each other face to face.

Mae is now 11 years old, while Mai is 10.

Their parents arranged a meeting between their families in Oakland, home to the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, which has one of the largest thalassemia treatment centers in the United States. It has also created summer clinic specifically for families with children adopted from China.

Last Sunday, the Raineys met Heather and Mai at a hotel lobby. They strolled around the area so that Mae and Mai would become familiar with one another again.

After a few moments, Mae's father Bryan noticed that the two girls were already holding hands. And by dinner time, they were already bonding the way they did back when they were small in the orphanage.

Frandsen says, "they were really nervous. I don't know if my Mai really believed it was going to happen. But when we got back to the room on Sunday night after they met, her whole behavior demeanor changed."

Mae, who described the whole situation as "crazy," told her parents that "mei-mei" in Chinese means sister.

The next day, the kids met once again, this time at the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, where Mai went regularly for blood transfusion. Mai went through the procedure with her bestfriend finally at her side.

When time came for the two to goback home, the significance of their reunion was not lost on them. Because they knew that from then on, they will never be apart for over a long period of time anymore.

TagsOrphans, U.S., thalassemia, Adoption, bestfriends, reunited