On Wednesday, Aug. 6, I photographed Vivian Nowakowski. Vivian's husband, Andrzej, lost his wallet and had to reapply for his green card. (They both immigrated from Poland as children.) Andrzej has a criminal record, so he was denied. He now sits in the Wyatt Detention Center in Rhode Island awaiting possible deportation. Vivian is representing him on his appeal.

Vivian has been on dialysis since '95, and she received a letter from the Yale-New Haven Transplantation Center that she may be ineligible for a kidney transplant without her husband there to care for her during recovery.

Vivian is also caring for her aging parents. Her son, a Marine, expects to deploy in spring '09.

"It's just overwhelming. Totally overwhelming," she explained, as she held back tears.

"I said to myself that I'm not going to give up on my husband."

The story can be read here: Part 1 and Part 2.