Photo: Nigerian stem cell donor denied entry into the UK to save her sister diagnosed with Leukaemia
A 23-year-old Nigerian
woman has launched an appeal to the Home Office/UK Visa & Immigration to
allow for her sister to visit the UK from Nigeria for a lifesaving stem cell
(bone marrow) transplant.
May Brown (pictured) is
currently undergoing Leukaemia treatment at King’s College Hospital in London
and is said to be distraught by the decision. She is now pleading with
authorities to allow her sister entry to ‘save my life...
Ms Brown, who is
married to a former British soldier was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia
last year. Consultants have confirmed her only chance of survival is to
receive a stem cell transplant from a donor with a matching tissue type as
hers.
The patient’s sister
Martha, who resides in Nigeria, is a perfect match. However, she was denied
entry in to the UK as she did not meet the economic requirements laid out by
the Home Office. Her monthly earnings of 65,000 Naira (£222) per month suggest
she doesn't have sufficient funds available to cover her travel costs.
The letter from UK Visas
& Immigration state "I am not satisfied that you are a genuine visitor
and will leave the UK at the end of your visit or that you have sufficient
funds available to cover your costs whilst in the UK without working or
accessing public funds."
Additional paperwork
submitted included confirmation that Martha's trip was to be funded entirely by
her sister. However, Ms Brown’s sponsorship of her sister’s entire expenses
have also been rejected by officials, who fear Martha will not return back to
Nigeria – despite having a family of her own there.
"My sister Martha
has two children in Nigeria who will be looked after by our Grandmother
during her visit to the UK. She has no desire to re-locate here. She is only
visiting to help save my life, the life of her sister." said May, who has
been in hospital for the last three months.
"To
know my life isn’t important to those who have the power to help me is deeply
upsetting. My life can be saved if my sister is granted to enter the UK to
donate her stem cells. This is a six-hour journey which will help save my
life." she added.
More than 1,500 people
have now signed the petition, launched by the blood cancer charity African
Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT), asking the Home Office to reverse the
decision.
You can sign here
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