brianna olson retweetledi
Very, very sad to report that Hayam El Gamal, mother of 5 kids detained at Dilley for 10+ months, has suffered a serious medical emergency due to systematic denial of medical attention by ICE.
We can now share the following:
For many weeks Ms. El Gamal has been concerned about a growth on her chest that has caused pain for many weeks. She has made complaints to Dilley staff and ICE repeatedly but has been denied a visit to an outside doctor. She had specifically made requests for a CT scan to identify the lump and the source of her pain.
On Thursday April 8, a doctor at Dilley told her that he had put in a request for a CT scan but "higher ups" in either ICE or CoreCivic overrode his request, and so no scan was conducted. Medical records show she had been demanding help since February, at which time she said her pain had been already worsening for 8 weeks. A doctor at Dilley said the lump in her chest was merely a bone.
Mid-morning on Friday April 9, Ms. El Gamal began experiencing excruciating pain which she rated an 11 out of 10. She described the pain as being stabbed through the back to the stomach. At about 11 AM central time she began pleading with officials for painkillers and medical attention. After two hours of asking for help (at around 1 PM central time) she was taken to an off-site emergency room. While there she received lab work and, finally, a CT scan. The CT scan confirmed that the lump was not a bone, but it did not reveal what the lump was.
The scan also showed she has "fluid around the heart." The ER doctor recommended an ultrasound to determine what was causing the pain, but this was denied. Ms. El Gamal was told she had to go back to Dilley and was not given the ultrasound. We do not know if the lump is cancerous, all we know is that the pain is increasing, the incidents are becoming worse and worse, and she is not receiving proper diagnosis that could lead to proper treatment.
After 10 months in detention, Ms. El Gamal remains in pain. We are concerned that the systematic denial of medical attention may result in her death. Her children are extremely worried about their mother, who is now their only guardian. Her five year old child has been denied the right to go to a dentist for 13 cavities. Her 16 year old son was told to take tylenol when he suffered from acute appendicitis. All of the children are suffering from depression.
Please join us in demanding the El Gamal's immediate release so that she can acquire the urgent medical attention she desperately needs. This family has suffered enough.
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