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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/oct/14/woman-distraught-sister-refused-uk-visa-donate-stem-cells
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| Woman 'distraught' as sister is refused UK visa to donate stem cells Woman 'distraught' as sister is refused UK visa to donate stem cells | |
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| A young mother in need of a stem cell transplant said she was “distraught” after a visa to bring her donor-match sister to the UK was rejected. May Brown, 23, who was diagnosed with leukaemia last year, is pleading with officials to change their minds “to help save my life”. | A young mother in need of a stem cell transplant said she was “distraught” after a visa to bring her donor-match sister to the UK was rejected. May Brown, 23, who was diagnosed with leukaemia last year, is pleading with officials to change their minds “to help save my life”. |
| According to Brown, the Home Office said it was “not satisfied” that her sister Martha would be a genuine visitor or that she had the funds to cover the costs of the trip. Brown has pledged to fund the visit, and said her schoolteacher sister, who has two children in their native Nigeria, has no desire to relocate to the UK. | According to Brown, the Home Office said it was “not satisfied” that her sister Martha would be a genuine visitor or that she had the funds to cover the costs of the trip. Brown has pledged to fund the visit, and said her schoolteacher sister, who has two children in their native Nigeria, has no desire to relocate to the UK. |
| Her sister is the only suitable match, found after what doctors at King’s College hospital in London said had been an extensive search for another donor. | Her sister is the only suitable match, found after what doctors at King’s College hospital in London said had been an extensive search for another donor. |
| Brown, who lives in Dorset with her daughter and her husband, Mike, said: “I was elated when I received the news Martha was a 10 out of 10 match. But when I received notification her visa was rejected, I felt distraught and helpless. My two-year-old daughter Selina needs me. She needs me to be back home with her, looking after her. | Brown, who lives in Dorset with her daughter and her husband, Mike, said: “I was elated when I received the news Martha was a 10 out of 10 match. But when I received notification her visa was rejected, I felt distraught and helpless. My two-year-old daughter Selina needs me. She needs me to be back home with her, looking after her. |
| “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. I am begging for the UK Home Office to review their decision and grant my sister admission to the UK.” | “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. I am begging for the UK Home Office to review their decision and grant my sister admission to the UK.” |
| More than 1,500 people have now signed a petition, launched by the blood cancer charity African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT), asking the Home Office to reverse the decision. | More than 1,500 people have now signed a petition, launched by the blood cancer charity African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT), asking the Home Office to reverse the decision. |
| A Home Office spokeswoman said it could not comment on individual cases, but added: “We are sensitive to cases with compassionate circumstances, but all visa applications must be assessed against the immigration rules. The onus is on the individual to provide the necessary supporting evidence to prove they meet the requirements.” | A Home Office spokeswoman said it could not comment on individual cases, but added: “We are sensitive to cases with compassionate circumstances, but all visa applications must be assessed against the immigration rules. The onus is on the individual to provide the necessary supporting evidence to prove they meet the requirements.” |