Little Peruvian Boy Gets Emergency Visa For Life-Saving Surgery. Then Gets Eaten By ICE Agents. JK.

Five-year-old Sebastian Pina was allowed a temporary visa in order to receive life-saving surgery in the United States thanks to the intervention of a local congressman and concerned doctors:

In August, doctors in Peru operated on Sebastian to remove a brain tumor. But despite undergoing radiation treatment, a second malignant brain tumor the size of a large peach was found on the right side of Sebastian’s head in November.

The child needed surgery quickly. Though doctors in his native Lima were willing to operate, the procedure would have left a large hole in the boy’s skull and nothing but flesh to protect his brain, the uncle said.

Sad face! And a little grossed out face too.

The uncle reached out to Dr. John D’Angelo, the head of emergency medicine at Glen Cove Hospital, who in turn called colleagues at a sister facility, Schneider Children’s Hospital at the LIJ Medical Center. Doctors there volunteered to operate on Sebastian for free and scheduled surgery for Dec. 27.

But getting permission for the boy to come the U.S. proved a bigger hurdle than anyone imagined. On Dec. 21, 2007, Sebastian’s parents went to the U.S. Embassy in Lima, but were turned away before they could get a visa.

After learning of the setback, D’Angelo contacted Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington) at 4p.m. that same day - an hour before the embassy was due to close for the Christmas holiday and not reopen until Dec. 26.

“This child doesn’t have until next Wednesday to get his visa,” replied Israel, who prevailed in getting the embassy to stay open and secure visas for the family.

Doctors last Thursday were successful in removing Sebastian’s tumor and reconstructing a part of his skull with titanium mesh to help support the scalp from sinking where a golf-ball-sized hole was left.

Hooray and whatever. And, really, what’s a little pain, right?

Docs and pol team up to make sure boy gets urgent brain tumor surgery [NY Daily News]