Namrah and Aslan Jalil, residents of Islamabad in Pakistan, recently interviewed with VICE World News describing their struggle to arrange for their four-year-old son, Aslan, to be brought to Boston Children’s Hospital for major heart surgery.
When Namrah heard that the surgery would cost $280,000, she thought it would be impossible to raise such an astronomical amount of money. Nevertheless, she blazed forward with an online campaign and was amazed at the response not only from people in their local area but from all over the world.
The impossible goal had been achieved and the preparation for the heart operation was set for September 1, 2021.
About Heterotaxy
Aslan was diagnosed with heterotaxy which is a rare condition affecting multiple organs. It is characterized by the abdominal and thoracic organs deviating from thenormal position.
It occurred during early embryonic development resulting with the heart on the left and the pulmonary atrium on the right. The surgery will repair the chambers of Aslan’s heart.
The disease causes difficulty digesting food and breathing. Aslan’s immune system was compromised and without treatment, heterotaxy syndrome may be fatal. Immediate surgery is recommended.
And Now the Easy Part, the Visa
Initially, Namrah and the rest of Aslan’s family were unable to obtain non-immigrant tourist tourists visas to the United States. In accordance with the B-2 category, physicians are to send letters to the U.S. embassy and applicants are to provide proof that they are able to afford associated medical expenses. The average wait time for non-immigrant in Pakistani visas may be as long as 350 days. There are exceptions though for emergency cases.
Then we have the delays caused by the pandemic. Currently, the U.S. embassy has lowered the number of Pakistani non-immigrant visas from fifty-three in May of 2019 to thirteen in May of 2021.
Unfortunately, when the first visa application was reviewed, the full amount due to the Boston Children’s had not yet been received resulting in the first denial.
By July 29th Jalil was ready with the entire medical payment and reapplied for the emergency visa yet it was denied without explanation.
The second denial threw Namrah into high gear reapplying for emergency visas and this time relying heavily on social media hoping that her posts would reach administers in the U.S. embassy.
Namrah received a reply but it was an automatic response saying that their case was being considered – but – they could not respond for 180 days. As Namrah told VICE World News they “freaked out.”
Help finally arrived in the form of Pakistan’s director-general who opened communication about Aslan with the U.S. Embassy. But they were running out of time because visa appointments generally do not clear for several months.
The big question now was, can Aslan still be saved?
The embassy contacted Namrah on August 23rd requesting more documents that would confirm details of her son’s case.
The following day they received news that U.S. visas had been granted to the family. They are now making arrangements to arrive by September 1st when treatment will begin.
Namrah is praying for a successful operation and returning with Aslan and his newly repaired heart.
