Undocumented Long Beach man struggles to get much needed heart transplant

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As he sits on his sofa with his daughter and wife, he plays the music from "Frozen" on his smartphone and tries to get her to sing with him.

Maddie is 4-years old. Her dad, Irving Camacho, is 28. His wife Jacky put a post on Facebook asking for help.

She said they needed a sponsor to help him get a heart transplant, but it was much more complex than that. Irving came here at the age of 8 months and never has become a legal resident.

His immigration status only allows him to have restricted emergency medical coverage, not "specialty coverage," which would make him eligible for things like heart and kidney transplants. He needs both.

His kidneys have given him such problems that he is on dialysis four times a week. He's also had four heart attacks. His doctor says the 28-year-old has end stage heart and renal disease and is suffering from severe heart failure.

"His prognosis is currently extremely poor unless he is able to receive a combined, life-saving heart and kidney transplantation," Camacho's doctor said.

But it appears his status is making it tough.

"It's not fair, I think that there should be a bigger range that they help people that are going to die," His wife Jacky said.

In fact, we asked Medical, and they confirmed to FOX 11, that in general the deciding factor on the level of covered benefits is typically based on the immigration status of the individual. That seems to be the case for Irving.

The Camacho's say they've been told if they can get a sponsor so that Irving can become a legal resident then he can go through the extensive process to be considered for the organ donor list. If he gets to the list, the urgency of the situation determines who's higher on the list. The Camacho's are hoping for help to solve their immigration issue, so they can can deal with Irving's heart and kidneys and he can live to see his daughter grow up.

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