Cassandra tells her story below.
Please share with anyone you know who has a loved one in TDCJ.
♥ Send some love Cassandra’s way in the comments. ♥
GIVE YOURSELF THE CHANCE TO SAY GOODBYE. [My experience happened in the Texas state prison system.] ASK YOUR LOVED ONE TO SUBMIT AN i60 TO GO TO MEDICAL AND SIGN A HIPAA PAPER. Have them put your name on it and sign it ASAP. The prison will think you are silly, and that the inmate is healthy and doesn’t need to sign one BUT THEY DO! And make sure it is signed and updated every 6 months!
My husband Christopher went into the prison system 10/05. We had not even had our first phone call yet and were communicating through letters. On 11/01 the TDCJ website said he was at an off-site medical facility. I freaked out and called the prison. They told me because he didn’t sign a HIPAA form they couldn’t tell me a single thing. We were married for 6 years, and I even had a strong Power Of Attorney written out and signed before he went to prison. It did not matter, they could not tell me anything. I called every single day, crying, thinking my husband got jumped. The warden and office began to get irritated with my calls and would tell me “Ma’am, quit calling the office. He is O.K. and nothing is wrong. If it was life threatening we would call you. Quit calling the office.”
On 11/06 I made my daily call and the office told me that the warden was going to the hospital to get him to sign the HIPAA paper in person. I asked, “Thats odd, and doesn’t sound like his job duty, why is the warden going himself?” her response was, “He likes to pay his respects.” That’s a weird response.
Four hours later while I was in the middle of making my husband a get well soon card the warden called me. The first words out of his mouth were, “Your husband is dying fast from cancer and you need to fly back to Texas soon.” The messed up part of all of this is HE KNEW MY HUSBAND HAD A DEADLY CANCER SINCE 10/27! He was getting his new inmate blood work done, they saw his blood looked weird, and sent him to the hospital where he was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. They should had given him a HIPAA paper to sign the day he was diagnosed with cancer. The doctors begged the warden to call family because his cancer was deadly and he may not survive. THE WARDEN ONLY CALLED ME WHEN HE NEEDED A DNR SIGNED AND DIDNT WANT TO BE THE ONE TO SIGN IT.
The next day I flew in and he had emergency brain surgery. He looked so swollen. He was still in a coma, My kids didn’t get to say goodbye. He didn’t get to at least look at me one last time. The doctors said if I would have come a few days earlier he would have been able to see my face for at least 15 seconds.
I spent the next two days with my husband until I took him off life support, while I was watched by two guards, one who was laughing about the previous night’s basketball game — laughing and joking while my husband was struggling to breath.
Have your loved ones sign the paperwork. They could be seemingly healthy one second, and dying of cancer the next. He had no symptoms, my husband was healthy and strong. Don’t risk not having the chance. Get it signed.
I am so sorry for your loss! That is so wrong what TDCJ did to you and your family. Thank you for putting your story out there to warn others about this. I know it wasn’t easy. TDCJ needs to change so much they need to just start completely over and create a whole new system with citizens running or at least having a family monitoring system put in place so we can see them and make sure nothing corrupt is going on and they are okay. I think it would help them not get into so much trouble as well cause they know their family is watching. Im not saying 24/7 seeing everything they do (shower, toilet, etc.) but like the dayroom and chow at least. I pray for you and your family and hope yall find some peace! ?
I’m sorry for your loss you have my condolences.Wow this samething happened to my brother he passed away in prison with the same kind of cancer on July 31,2021 they never told me he was sick until his last days they told me to come see him quick because he wasn’t going to make it but the strange part was that my brother was doing great he did have a foot injury that was left untreated which caused him to become paralyzed.I really don’t understand how this happened he did tell me that he was lefted on a burning prison bus a one point and that the guard had beat him in his head my mother didn’t get an autopsy because the Chaplin talk her out of getting one but I advise everyone who has a love one who has passed away to get an autopsy done because they could be lying.
Sorry I made a mistake on the date on my first post I’m sorry for your loss you have my condolences.Wow this samething happened to my brother he passed away in prison with the same kind of cancer on July 31,2018 they never told me he was sick until his last days they told me to come see him quick because he wasn’t going to make it but the strange part was that my brother was doing great he did have a foot injury that was left untreated which caused him to become paralyzed.I really don’t understand how this happened he did tell me that he was lefted on a burning prison bus a one point and that the guard had beat him in his head my mother didn’t get an autopsy because the Chaplin talk her out of getting one but I advise everyone who has a love one who has passed away to get an autopsy done because they could be lying.
My Brother passed away of acute leukemia cancer on July 31,2018 he was healthy as well he passed away in prison at Galveston Hospital he was last on C Young Unit before that he was placed on Stile Unit I made a mistake on the date.
This does not surprise the people that work at tdjc for the most could care less.But as we all know they are no better then most of the inmates inside the prison and people in the prison are still human beings they tell you what you want to hear to get you off the phone and don’t follow policy and procedure is all I can say is Iam.so sorry for your loss and I would get an attorney or at least have the people that you spoke with inudimg the warden fired
God Bless You, I keeping you and your family in prayer. I had 4 sons in Tdcj 2 made parole and are home, one just made it with a FI-1 and I have one more to go. I couldn’t imagine your pain. Im so sorry!!!!
I am so sorry… my heart goes out to you. All our love and respect from our family to yours.
I’m so sorry for your loss my condolences to you and your family. As I ready this my heart is heavy for as I have a husband who is in TDCJ as well and tomorrow I will be finding out if he has the correct paparwork filled out. Thank you for sharing you your story with us. God bless you.
Thats horrible!! I’m so sorry – you and your husband shouldn’t have gone thru that. Y’all seemed like a beautiful family, I can only imagine what y’all went through. I will pray for peace for you and your family. God bless sister, be strong in the Lord.
I would like 2 start by sayin My Condolences to ur family&U. Ok will My Son’s Father Is In Isf in Texas, i live in Texas as well. But i recieved a letter from him saying that his head had been&was hurting him again. He had been having pain in his head since he was in County were he be paralyzed 4 a few hrs but they couldnt find anything wrong. So i had been worried cuz he told me in the last letter 2 call up here&check up on me cuz his health was serious&said u know how these ppl work. “don’t care” so i did just that then the Girl that answered i gave her My BF info she was like no ma’am he been released since July 6 2021.im not no that cant be cuz he’d be here at home&i wouldnt be talking 2 u. So i then told her its cuz online it says he is off-site medical. Then shes like hold on.. Warden gets on ph says yes he at an off-site facility &who r u 2 him i said his son mother then he says will all i can tell u is that its not life threatening &he fine, if it gets there we’ll give u a call. I then tell him can u get my# he like will we have 1 on file. Asshole im thinking 2 myself.. So he says i was on my way out 2 visit him. Then i told him could u please relate a message to him from me he like ok wut. Tell him to be strong cuz our son&i need him home&we miss&love him too infinity &beyond. He like ok if i remember that broke my hurt. But ima look for this form. Cuz i havent gotten any word&its killing me everyday. But thank u so much cuz i didnt know bout this form. Prayers going ur way girl&2 anyone going through hard times.
Just curious how your story ended? @china15
Wardens need to be charge with murder or manslaughter, they are the ones that are in charge of their units, until one gets put in jail , others will think twice, if not let’s get people go to Austin tx and talk to this so call law makers