Torrington family pleads for gov't help to get lifesaving kidney transplant

A Torrington family is asking the government for help with a lifesaving kidney transplant.

News 12 Staff

Nov 27, 2019, 8:02 PM

Updated 1,621 days ago

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A Torrington family is asking the government for help with a lifesaving kidney transplant.
Gurvinder Bharara needs a kidney transplant. His nephew in India is a match, but the embassy there has repeatedly denied Bharara's nephew a temporary medical visa to come to the United States and perform the kidney donation.
Bharara is too ill to travel to India.
"I don't know why they don't have a heart," Bharara's wife Tarjeet said. "I need my husband and my kids need their dad. That's all I want to say."
The family says the visa process is being held up over concerns that the donor will not return to India, despite his extensive ties to the country.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal tells News 12 his office will look into the matter. The family is working with a pro-bono attorney and plans to reapply for the medical visa.
Bharara, owner of Torrington Wireless, has spent the last year dealing with failing kidneys after decades of diabetes.
"There's no more time to wait," said his daughter Emreen. "He needs it right now."
Emreen started a petition to get the government's attention with more than 8,000 signatures so far.
"We're trying to get as many people involved as possible," said Ashiespal, Bharara's son. "We just need a kidney."
If all else fails, the family is hoping to find a kidney donor in the country who is A positive, A negative, O positive or O negative.


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