Canada visa extension saves man's life

August 14 2009 by Matt Jones

Asheda Ebanks is thankful for Canada visa

A Cancer sufferer gained a visa extenstion that is likely to pprolong his life.

Roger Phillip Ebanks is battling multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood. By being allowed to remain in Canada, he will avoid deportation back to his homeland of Jamaica and the poor healthcare system there.

Originally from Westmoreland parish in Jamaica, Ebanks made the move to Canada where he worked at Niagara-on-the-Lake fruit farm.

But his illness prevented him from working, putting his work permit in jeopardy. This resulted in the prospect of his deportation to Jamaica where he would have faced likely death because the Jamaican healthcare system would not have been inadequate to support him.

Fortunately, Ebanks’ Canadian friends helped him put together a Canada visa extension that allowed him to stay in the country. He still requires dialysis three times a week - a four-and-a-half-hour process that can be both exhausting and painful.

Asheda Ebanks visited her father recently and was pleased to see he is looking better than on her last visit.

Asheda said: “He’s weak but he’s put on weight.”

Two years on from his diagnosis Asheda's father is still in Canada, having successfully extended his visa every six months.

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