I am Mary E Stepney, a testament to a century of resilience, independence, and hard work. I was born in England in 1924, survived WW2, worked in Kenya at the British Naval Office, came to America with a Green Card in 1957 with my husband and 2 children and a Shetland Sheep dog, got divorced, raised my sons, bought a farm and made a life for myself in sheep farming in the beautiful state of Pennsylvania, and realized the American dream. Yet today, I write not about past accomplishments but to advocate for an issue deeply personal to me and my family. 

My 100-year journey has been filled with both challenges—my two sons returning to Europe—and rewards—friends, neighbors and acquaintances who have cared about me over the years. Today, my second son Simon needs help because he enters the country on the Visa Waiver Program (ESTA) and has been staying to care for me since May 2024, leaving the US in compliance with the 90-day period, but returning to continue his care. When he departs on May 12 this year, he has been told by Immigration that he might not be re-admitted. Neither online filings nor phone calls have produced any results that ensure I will be cared for come May. Believe me, we have left no stone unturned.

I now find daily home tasks increasingly difficult due to my heart condition and my limited mobility, after a lifetime working from age 14, but I am not willing to give up the comfort of the home and farm I've built over my lifetime.

We urgently need a solution to his tourist visa situation, otherwise I stand the risk of not having a caregiver. The U.S. immigration process can often be a lengthy one—we applied for a Green Card in December 2017 but have not received a “number” yet. We applied for “parole” for family reunification in October 2024, but have not received a reply yet. However, expedited processes have been granted before in similar humanitarian situations.

We are pleading that this case qualifies for such consideration. We have written to President Trump, KikaScot as Acting Director of US Customs and Immigration, and Elon Musk as Director of the DOGE, and are awaiting a reply. According to Pew Research Center with data from the U.S. Census Bureau, there were an estimated 101,000 persons aged 100 and over in the U.S. in 2024. More than half of these individuals, like me, prefer aging in their homes over moving into nursing homes or other facilities. They, too, rely on caregivers, like my son Simon.

We never envisaged that distinct citizenships between countries with special relations like the United Kingdom and the United States could separate a son from her aging mother needing constant care. It is therefore important to make these exceptional processes more flexible to support such family circumstances. Consequently, I urge you to stand with me and my family and support our plea.