45-year-old João Coelho Guimarães' family was able to track him down after his pictures went viral.
A homeless man in Brazil was reunited with his family after nearly a decade, all thanks to a makeover! 45-year-old João Coelho Guimarães had been homeless for three years, and as a result of the challenging situation, he could not afford fresh clothes and basic grooming. But fate decided to play its hand as he stumbled into a men's clothing store/barbershop. The owner and employees offered to clean him up and dress him in fresh clothes and viola! Guimarães looked like a completely different person! After they gave him the makeover, Guimarães was genuinely surprised and grateful. He didn't say much but his tears said it all.
Businessman Alessandro Lobo, who owns the men’s fashion store and barber service, asked the homeless man if he wanted something to eat. Lobo told reporters that Guimarães refused food and instead asked for a razor to trim his beard. "That was when we decided to help him in a different way, providing a day of beauty for him," Lobo told Universo Online. They groomed his beard, hair and moustache and also gifted him three shirts, a pair of trousers, a jacket and some new shoes. Next, they uploaded the before and after images of the powerful transformation on social media, and it immediately went viral.
Speaking about the transformation with Bored Panda, Lobo said, "It took two hours to complete the transformation. The whole team volunteered and everyone did a little, adding up to a surprising result." He added, "He is a very shy person and of few words. But we noticed his look of satisfaction and he thanked us very much." Lobo decided to not ask Guimarães about the reason why he ended up on the streets: “I didn’t want to get into the question of why he left home. He must have his reasons, but our intention was just to give him a little dignity at that moment.”
But this wasn't all. Among the many who saw him online were also his family who thought he was dead for ten years now. His mother ans sister were overjoyed and reached out to Lobo. "They saw the photo and contacted me and, since he doesn’t have a phone or a fixed address, tomorrow we will go through the neighborhood to try to find him," the businessman said at the time. "It is Christmas time and the intention was to show that with little we can change someone’s life. That we have to do good without looking at who. We did not imagine that it would have this repercussion," he added.
The family was able to track him down, and the reunion was nothing short of magical with many teary eyes. Guimarães was very happy to be reunited with his family. The person who recognized him and came to meet him was his sister. Lobo shared, “His sister Maria Coelho came in a hurry when she saw the pictures. She lives in Brasília DF and has been waiting for 10 years to hear some news about him. She even thought he was dead.” While his sister did invite him to stay at her house he passed up the offer. Now he "is still on the streets. His sister wanted to welcome him and take him home, but he didn’t want to. He said that on the streets, he feels free. That’s why he didn’t want to go home.” As for Lobo he shared, “We have some social aid projects, and for us, it is very gratifying to be able to help people, whoever they are. In this time of the pandemic, many people lost loved ones and others were left with financial difficulties. A little help is always welcome in such a difficult time.”
