Tuesday 18 October 2016

Nigerian stem cell donor refused entry into the UK

stem cell

A Nigerian woman has been refused to entry into the UK to donate vital stem cells to her seriously ill sister.

May Brown is currently undergoing Leukaemia treatment at King's College Hospital in London and is said to be distraught by the decision.

The 23-year-old 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.

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.

She said: '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.'

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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