Portraits

Maria Garnica: “I asked a surgeon if he would accept an organ I donate. He said Yes. I asked him why he would accept my organ since I am “illegal”? I am here with my six children, we are fighting on behalf of my husband, who needs a transplant. But this is a national crisis.”

Blanca Gomez: “I am on hunger strike because I need a kidney transplant. We are denied health care for being undocumented. They put a piece of paper over our lives. Documents, money, social security cards.. are more important than our lives”

Rosa Gomez: “I want to say to the politicians, to the hospital administrators, to stop using not having documents as a pretext for denying health care. I am on hunger strike, I am fighting for everyone who needs a kidney or liver transplant. This fight is to win something. Until then, we will keep fighting.”

Jose Ruis :”I am on hunger strike on behalf of my wife Juana Ortencia Rodriguez who needs a kidney transplant. I want the hospitals to stop turning patients away. People work and work, sometimes under false security numbers, and we pay taxes, but when it comes to help, to benefits, we are excluded. I want people to take the children into consideration, because this does not only affect the patients, it devastates entire families. I also wish my wife’s parents can come to the US to visit and to provide some comfort in this terrible time.”

Maria del Carmen Garcia: “I am on hunger strike on behalf on my son, Marcos Alvares, who needs a transplant. Without it he will die. We know he is not being treated because he does not have papers. I want to tell the people that this is racist. I want to tell them they are putting papers over my son’s life”