Fundraisers Yield $450,000 for Lung Transplant for 11-Year-Old Chilean Girl

A month-long fundraising blitz in the Chicago-area Latino community has raised $450,000 to pay for a double-lung transplant for Melannie Veliz, an 11-year-old Chilean immigrant, according to supporters.

Melannie suffers from cystic fibrosis, and doctors had recommended the double-lung transplant, but Medicaid would not cover the procedure because her family had overstayed their visas.

In May, the Immigration and Naturalization Service granted the family a one-year stay of deportation, and the Cacique Foundation, the philanthropic arm of a company that produces Hispanic cheeses, organized a series of fundraisers for Melannie.

Doctors at the University of Chicago Children's Hospital said Melannie was expected to undergo the transplant in St. Louis. Updates about her condition also are available at www.melannieveliz.com.