Remember the inspiring story of Sopuruchi Chukwueke,
a 26 year-old Nigerian who was being considered for a special
legislation that will enable him obtain permanent U.S. residency by the
United States of America congress? In August 2012, BellaNaija published
the story of Sopuruchi, a young man who grew up as an outcast in the
village of Ovim in southeastern Nigeria {click here to read it}.
Tumors that distorted one side of his face wouldn’t stop growing, and
doctors said he should be taken away and drowned. In 2001, when he was
15, his parents took him to an orphanage and abandoned him.
He was rescued by a missionary nun, who
arranged medical care in the U.S. Eleven years and seven operations
later, doctors have removed the benign growths caused by the genetic
disease neurofibromatosis, and have performed reconstructive surgery.
However, his challenge was that he had
overstayed his visa and had been living in the U.S illegally. In
November 2011, he was admitted to the University of Toledo
to study Medicine with one condition: that he obtain
permanent-residency status by August 1 of this year. The only thing that
could enable him obtain permanent U.S. residency was a bill applying
solely to him.
Thankfully, the United States Congress
passed a private bill last week granting Sopuruchi permanent residency
after years of his living in Michigan on an expired visa. The bill is
awaiting President Barack Obama‘s signature. According to CNN, his is the only private bill to pass in Congress in two years.
“The day Congress passed the bill was one of the happiest days of my life,” Sopuruchi told CNN. “I
was overwhelmed with joy; it was nothing less than a miracle. Only in
this country can so many miraculous and wonderful things happen to
someone like me.”
He lives with the nuns in Oak Park,
Michigan. They have cared for him since he came to the U.S., where he
has undergone seven surgeries, including one that left him blind in the
right eye. Doctors performed Sopuruchi’s surgeries over a period of
time, he says, which contributed to his expired visa.
A benefactor later helped him attend Wayne State University,
where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry, obtaining a
3.82 GPA. Soon after that, he got admission to study medicine. Speaking
about his ambition to become a doctor, he said “My own personal
struggles to receive treatment have motivated and encouraged me to
pursue a medical career … to alleviate the pain and suffering of others.”
And so, Sopuruchi began his journey to
get legalized and has had strangers rally to his help. His attorney
Thomas K. Ragland took his case pro bono. A Michigan Democrat, Sen.
Carl Levin sponsored the bill. The measure passed the Senate in the
summer and the House last week.
If Obama signs the bill, the State
Department will reduce by one the number of immigrant visas available to
Nigerians. That signature, he says, will be his favorite holiday gift.
We are so glad his journey to getting a
permanent U.S. residency has gotten this far and we hope President Obama
would not hesitate to sign his bill.
Photo Credit: CNN
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