Dying Man to See His Son After Dornan, Last-Wish Group Act

A terminally ill Irvine man’s wish that he be reunited with his son, who lives in the Philippines, will become a reality by weeks end.

A visa has been granted to Ferdinand Ordonez, and Pan Am has donated a round-trip ticket from Manila to Los Angeles, according to Brian Bennett, an executive assistant to Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove).

Dornan on Monday had requested that the White House and State Department intervene on Ordonez’s behalf after he was originally denied a visa to visit his 73-year-old father, Monico, a cancer victim who has been given less than two weeks to live.

Bennett said the U.S. embassy in Manila interviewed Ordonez and granted his visa on Tuesday, and that Pan Am on Wednesday agreed to provide transportation.

Ordonez caught a plane in Manila and is scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles today at noon, according to Bennett.

Dornan became involved in the Ordonez case when he was contacted by Quiet Dreams, an Anaheim-based nonprofit organization that tries to honor the last wishes of terminally ill patients.

“It’s one of the real pleasures of being a congressman when you can move the government off the mark to help families out,” Dornan said Wednesday. “The White House, the State Department, Quiet Dreams and Pan Am really made the day.”