A homeless man has gone viral on social media this week after a professional haircut led to an incredible transformation and a heartwarming reunion.
According to a report by the Daily Mail, 45-year-old João Coelho Guimarães, who hails from Goiânia in Brazil, has been living on the streets for the past three years and has been presumed dead by his family for over a decade.
However, one day he stopped inside the men's barbershop Padoo, which is owned by Brazilian country singer Alessandro Lobo.
Lobo asked Guimarães if he was hungry, but Guimarães (who was sporting a tangled hair and matted beard at the time) only asked the barber for a trim.
Take a look at this video showcasing the incredible transformation:In an inspiring act of generosity and kindness, Lobo and his staff quickly went to work on Guimarães for over two hours.
The staff cut his hair and styled his beard, and also gave him a place to wash. On top of that, they also gifted him three shirts, a pair of pants, a jacket, and some new shoes to wear.
When Padoo released pictures of Guimarães to its official Instagram account, the images quickly went viral, and this led to Guimarães' family finally tracking him down and reuniting with him after ten long years of separation.
Lobo then uploaded a video to his Instagram account showing the heartwarming moment when a handsomely-groomed Guimarães met again with his sister, Maria Coelho.
Per The Mail, Lobo later commented on the incident in a later interview with UOL by stating: "[Guimarães] came and we asked if he was hungry and wanted something to eat. But he refused and asked if we had a razor so he could trim his beard.
"That's when we had an idea and everyone in the store decided to help in a different way, providing a day of beauty for him."
After the heartwarming gesture was circulated across social media, Guimarães was recognized by his sister.
In a further interview with BoredPanda, Lobo stated: "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."
"João 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."
At least Guimarães' family know that he is alive and have had the chance to reunite with him.
