Cancer survivors' US trip dreams dashed by visa delays

Five children in Turkey who have overcome leukemia now face a bureaucratic hurdle in their dream of an educational and vacation trip to California. The LÖSEV foundation had organized a special two-month program in collaboration with LÖSEV USA and the California Language Academy, offering English language courses and a chance to experience childhood joys they missed during treatment.

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We are children who say we fought the leukemia monster and won. At a time like this, encountering a bureaucratic obstacle, and the United States remaining indifferent to this matter, has caused great disappointment. We hope they see us, hear us, and remove the obstacles to our development for our lives.

The program, designed to help these young survivors reintegrate into social life and broaden their horizons, was set to cover all expenses, including transportation and accommodation. However, the U.S. visa application process has become an unexpected obstacle. The children and their families are deeply disappointed as visa appointments and interview dates were scheduled months after the program's planned start.

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We fought the leukemia monster and won. Now, at a time when we have the chance to forget our troubles and reconnect with life, encountering a formal obstacle and the United States remaining indifferent to this matter has caused great disappointment.

LÖSEV has publicly appealed to the U.S. diplomatic authorities, urging them to review the children's cases with humanitarian consideration. The foundation emphasized the children's resilience in battling cancer and their right to make up for lost time, learn English, and create happy memories. The children themselves expressed their profound disappointment, hoping that their plea will be heard and that the path to their personal development will be cleared.

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Our children did not give up in the face of an extremely difficult disease like cancer. They fought for months, years, and won. It deeply saddens us that the obstacle they now face is a visa procedure. These children deserve to make up for the time they lost in hospital rooms, to discover the world, to learn English, and to create beautiful memories like their peers.