Mother, Daughter Meet for Second Time After 12 Years

June 9, 2009 — -- After spending a dozen years apart, mother Janet Greer and 15-year-old daughter Sarah Elgohary recently discovered they had an unusual trait in common during their second visit.

"I found out 'Dowsha' can cross one eye at a time, like me," said Greer, who had last seen Sarah -- nicknamed "Dowsha" -- when she was 3 years old. "I am proud, and all the cousins were trying to make her do it, but she was too embarrassed. I was doing it and everyone was cracking up."

On Monday, Greer and her daughter met for the second time in a week -- their first face-to-face meetings after spending 12 years apart. For years, Greer eagerly searched for her daughter after her ex-boyfriend, Magdy Elgohary, took the child to Egypt. The pair reunited last week for the first time.

"Dowsha and I were able to speak on the phone, and while I was talking Arabic, she was talking English to me! That was such a big moment for me," Greer said.

During their latest two-hour reunion at Dowsha's home outside of Cairo, they reminisced about Dowsha's early childhood in the United States and shared stories about Greer's life and family back home.

"It was like I was with a bunch of girlfriends goofing around, lots of laughs and smiles," Greer said of the meeting with Dowsha and several of her cousins.

Greer was first reunited with her daughter last week, when "Good Morning America" anchor Chris Cuomo broke the news that the meeting would happen. After battling for 12 years to be reunited, Greer received a phone call last Wednesday from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo that changed her life -- the battle was finally over, and she would be able to see her daughter.

Nervous and excited, Greer made her way to the Cairo home of Elgohary's brother, where she and her daughter finally met with a hug. For two hours, the two were allowed to catch up on nearly a lifetime of a lost relationship.

Mother-Daughter's Second Meeting Brings Tears of Joy

Things went so well after their first meeting that over the weekend the two shared a phone call.

During their second day together, Monday, Greer and Dowsha created a bond that was felt throughout the entire family. Greer said the scene inside the house at the end of their visit was familial.

"All the girls stayed upstairs in the apartment, but as I was going down the stairs they all looked over the railing at me, waving and saying goodbye ... I broke down and cried, everyone was hugging me.Things couldn't have gone better except when I left, it was hard saying goodbye," Greer said.

Greer said she and Elgohary, her ex-boyfriend, spoke about future visits and that the communication lines are now open for Greer to see her daughter more often.