It’s been almost a year since Mohammad Bakhash moved to Canada from Syria with his family and after months of waiting, he’s about to reunite with his brother.
READ MORE: Fredericton welcomed more Syrians per capita than other Canadian cities: multicultural association
“We wait… we wait for this moment for a year,” Bakhash said.
Bakhash moved to Fredericton with his mother, wife and children alongside more than 500 other refugees from the war-torn country who arrived in New Brunswick’s capital in the past year. He fled to Cairo before moving to Canada, but his brother Ali remained across the ocean.
In January, he told Global News that since arriving, the most difficult part was knowing he left his brother in Egypt. But last month, he got the call his brother would be joining him in only a few weeks.
That day has finally arrived.
Ali is set to arrive in Fredericton on Thursday night and said during a Facetime call, through his brother as an interpreter, that he’s excited.
“He cannot describe how much he’s happy after a long year of huge stress… he’s in Canada and is going to be with his family again,” Bakhash translated.
It’s not just his brother arriving either. His sister-in-law and six nieces and nephews are all flying in.
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Waiting for this day alongside the Bakhash family is Brenda McAdam, who has become good friends with the family since they moved to the city.
She said she’s seen the excitement grow in the family, especially in Bakhash’s mother.
“She’s just trembling here, she’s so excited,” McAdam said.
As they await for Ali’s arrival, Bakhash said having his brother back will be a special moment for everyone, especially his mother.
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“For years she was a bird with two wings… one of them was broken but today it’s mended and today she’s recovering and I can tell you today she can fly again,” he said.
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