ImmigrationPresident Obama signs private bill giving Nigerian student U.S. residency

President Barack Obama granted a Nigerian immigrant his wish,  signing a rare private bill into law granting the immigrant permanent residency in the United States.

Victor Chukwueke came to the United States eleven years ago to undergo treatment for massive facial tumors, and stayed, on an expired visa, to graduate from Wayne State University. He wants to attend medical school, but in order to do so he needed a green card.

CNN reports that Congress passed a private bill earlier this month granted him a green card, and Obama signed the bill last Friday. Private bills only apply to one individual and usually focus on immigration, but are rarely approved. Chukwueke is the only person to make it through Congress in the past two years.

“I was overwhelmed with joy; it was nothing less than a miracle,” the 26-year-old told CNN. “Only in this country can so many miraculous and wonderful things happen to someone like me.”

Chukwueke suffers from neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that causes massive tumors on his face, a condition which  is life threatening. Chukwueke was treated as an outcast in Nigeria because of his condition, and was abandoned by his family, which let him at an orphanage.

“I went to a large teaching hospital in Nigeria and the doctor touched my face and said there was nothing they could do,” Chukwueke said. “I cried and begged him to do something. I was so tired of the humiliation.”

Chukwueke was taken in by a group of nuns from the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy in 2001, and they arranged for a doctor to perform surgery on him. In total, Chukwueke has gone through seven surgeries, one of which left him blind in his right eye. Chukwueke does not regret the tumors as they have been a part of the success he has enjoyed.

“Without them, I would not have met the nun, left Nigeria, arrived in the U.S. and had the miracle to attend medical school,” Chukwueke told CNN.

After receiving his GED, Chukwueke attended community college, and a benefactor helped him attend Wayne State University, where he graduated with a 3.82 GPA.

Soon after graduating, Chukwueke was admitted to the University of Toledo in Ohio for medical school, but the program required him to achieve permanent residency. Obama has made that dream come true.

“My own personal struggles to receive treatment have motivated and encouraged me to pursue a medical career … to alleviate the pain and suffering of others,” Chukwueke told CNN. “A medical career will allow me many gratifying years of making a difference in the health and lives of others.”