Benj's Knee Surgery and PhD Graduation

Hi, I'm Benj and I'm a composer at the end my PhD in Scotland. Unfortunately, my student visa expires after April (only a few days away), and I will need to pay for a visa renewal in order to stay for my PhD defense/graduation, and my knee surgery in May.

Having struggled with my mental health and an untreated disability for years, my PhD took far longer than expected; and although I've already completed and submitted my research, I would need to leave the country before I would have a chance to finish the process and graduate. The university has kindly agreed to sponsor a student visa renewal for me, but I still need to pay for it myself.

In January, I tore a large piece of cartilage in my right knee, and the joint has remained blocked from fully opening for the past 4 months. After an MRI and meeting with an orthopaedic specialist, they placed me on an urgent list for surgery sometime in May to unlock my knee. To me, being able to have this medical treatment alone would be worth the £1300 required to remain in the country, but I have no other means of borrowing the money, so this is my last option.

Renewing my visa will not only allow me to stay for my surgery, defend my PhD, and graduate, but it will also give me enough time to look for work and save up enough money to get back on my feet after this process is done.

If you can help, I would be tremendously appreciative! ❤️