A moving story that shook the Egyptian streets emerged two weeks ago, as the Al Arabiya website reported that a blind young man returned to his family after being missing for 21 years. The incident traces back to 21 years ago in the village of Kafr Al-Jadid near the city of Meet Salsil in the Dakahlia Governorate. Mohamed Ibrahim Hegazy, then 7 years old, traveled with his older brother to Cairo and disappeared, with the family unable to find any trace of him.
**Lost Hope**
His father told Al Arabiya that his son traveled to Cairo to visit his mother (the parents are divorced) and got lost in the capital's crowd. He noted that every time his son traveled there, he would get lost but was usually found and returned to their village. However, during the last trip, he vanished completely. The father reported the case to the police stations until he lost all hope of finding him.
**A Facebook Post**
Recently, a girl in the village informed him that she had read a Facebook post from a young man discussing a blind individual at an orphanage in the neighboring Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate, who is from Kafr Al-Jadid, with a father named Mohamed Hegazy working at a gas station. Immediately, the father went to the orphanage, where he met his son and the officials, who requested a DNA test to confirm that the young man was indeed his missing son. The test was conducted, and on Wednesday, the results came back a match, allowing Mohamed Ibrahim Hegazy to return home.
**Moving Between Care Homes**
The young man told Al Arabiya that he got lost from his family when he was 7 years old, and passersby took him to a care home in Alexandria, where he remained, moving between various homes until finally settling in the orphanage in Kafr El-Sheikh. He added that he remembered his father's name and some family members, and a friend wrote a Facebook post revealing details about him, leading his family to find him.
**Reception by the Governor**
The blind young man and his father were received by Kafr El-Sheikh Governor Gamal Nour El-Din, who listened to their story. It is noteworthy that all necessary arrangements and cooperation between Kafr El-Sheikh and Dakahlia governorates were facilitated to ensure the necessary procedures, including the DNA test, for Mohamed Ibrahim Hegazy's return to his family.
