This could be the story of a life saved. A 5-year-old girl from Elizabeth, who has leukemia, is in desperate need of a bone-marrow transplant. Luckily, they've found a donor who's a perfect match: her 7-year-old sister.

The solution is obvious. Bring the sister to the hospital and perform the life-saving procedure for little Yarelis Bonilla. Because if this were your kid, you’d do anything in your power to save her. And you’d expect that everyone else would, too.

But there, you’d be wrong. Never underestimate the grip of government bureaucracy — as Star-Ledger columnist Bob Braun explained yesterday, instead of a mad race against time, what we have here is a story of utter inaction.

The sick child, Yarelis, is an American citizen. But her sister, Gisselle, lives in El Salvador. And that, apparently, is an insurmountable obstacle for officials at the U.S. State Department. They’ve twice refused to issue a visa to Gisselle, based on the sole concern that she will remain here illegally.

You’d think this must be some kind of oversight. After all, foreigners are routinely issued tourist visas based on pledges not to overstay. And American employers commonly recruit immigrant laborers on temporary work visas. So how could there be no leeway to allow one little girl to fly here for a lifesaving procedure? Can’t they make an exception?

The answer was no. The girls’ family and a New York foundation pledged to care for Gisselle while she’s here, and make sure she returns to El Salvador. U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) personally implored the State Department to reconsider.

But again, officials refused to grant the visa. Maybe it’s easier to say “no” to the frantic parents of a dying girl when you don’t have to do it to their faces.

The girls’ family is worried that a hospital in El Salvador couldn’t provide medical services Yarelis needs. Regardless, while she’s eligible for health benefits here because of her disability, the family could not afford to pay for the procedure there.

So officials must issue this visa immediately. This little girl, an American, had no control over the situation of her birth. Why should our government make her pay the ultimate price for it?