Transplant patient’s visa denied for second time

Jose Chua Lopez needs an urgent heart and liver transplant for which his relatives and friends have managed to raise the amount required for the transplant. Chua has a heart defect since he was born. He has been twice denied for a US visa, and according to his doctor, his condition is dangerous.

Chua said, "They denied me the visa and my world has fallen down. This needs to be fixed quickly". According to his mother Myra Lopez Martinez, in 10 days, Chua has an appointment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. However, Chua's visa application was not accepted for the second time by the US State Department on Tuesday.

The State Department didn't make any comment on the case, saying they can't say anything due to confidential rules.

Spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that their team is examining the matter and they'll search for more information regarding it. Chua's father belongs to Arizona and he was having a US visa until he was 15. The family didn't renew it as they didn't have more money to spend on trips.

US-based Consejo de Latinos Unidos tried to help take Chua to the Mayo Clinic. According to the organization's director, Kevin Forbes, the case was not properly handled at the US Consulate in the northern city of Hermosillo, where Chua is living. It's a case, which is necessary to be handled since it is linked to the life of a man, who needs urgent treatment.

Forbes said that officials, together with those in the State Department, should look after those who ask for help. According to Chua's family, the surgery costs around $2 million.