SCI Dallas Refuses to Allow Dying Woman Into Visiting Room

It is a well-known fact that my parents, Beverly and Robert Brown, are dying of cancer. My mom has AML (acute myeloid leukemia) and my dad has stomach cancer that has spread throughout his body, most recently to his brain. Well, on July 20, 2017, my parents came to visit me for the last time. They are both entering hospice care now and have ended all medical treatments.

My parents are being checked in and processed by Officer—I will spell this wrong—Cromus; he is the one who processes all visitors. My mom somehow bumps into something and it cuts her. The officer told my parents, I cannot allow her in with an open cut. She has blood on her shirt so he told my dad that he can enter but my mom cannot. My dad pleaded with him and told him, "Look at us, we are dying of cancer. We came to see our son for the last time." The same officer told my dad, "I won't tell you again. You may enter, but she has to leave immediately." So my dad came in for 15 minutes, told me what happened, and then told me that if mom was feeling well enough, he would bring her back the next day.

I came back to my block and asked my block officer to call Officer Cromus to find out why he refused entry for my mom. He said that my mom got cut and was bleeding everywhere; there were puddles of blood all over. Those were his words that he told another officer who told me this. But let's be real for a moment—there is no doubt that mom got cut, but she was cut on state property. This officer couldn't be bothered to get my mom and any medical attention. He didn't even give her anything from the first-aid kid that is paid for with taxpayer money.

I called my parents this morning to see if they were coming today and Mom said no. She was up all night throwing up and is feeling very sick. I am so very aggravated about this. This officer, who is a Dallas Correctional Officers Union President and who also makes over $30 an hour checking in visitors, couldn't be bothered to help my mom. He had no human compassion nor did he bother to do anything to assist my injured mother. I asked my mom about it and how badly she was cut. She said, "I didn't even know I cut myself until blood was running down my arm. But it stopped in a few minutes."

The officer refused her entry and lied by exaggerating the entire situation. There is no reason why this officer couldn't have called for a nurse or, if it was as serious as he claims, why wouldn't he call one of his superiors to see what should be done? If she was bleedings as bad as he claimed, maybe a call to the paramedics should have been done. At the bare minimum, he should have given my mom some stuff from the first-aid kit so she could manage her cut, stop the bleeding, and come to visit me for my one hour visit. Instead, she sat in a hot car, in 90 degree heat with her oxygen tank, while I sat with my dad for 15-20 minutes. Then I had to let him leave. First time I saw my mom in 7 months, and my dad in 12 years.

To anyone reading this, I ask: if you want to help end ignorance like this, see my story. I ask that you call the people who can make the difference and demand that this does not happen again. I will include names and phone numbers of the people who can help make a difference and ensure that this does not happen to me again or to any other family. My parents are too weak to fight and argue about this, and most of my family is gone. So if anyone reading this would like to help, please call the numbers at the end and complain for me.

I may never see my mom and my dad again. This Officer Cromus stole that from me.

I would truly appreciate any assistance anyone can render. My parents do not deserve this, nor did they deserve to be treated this way. If anyone does make some calls on our behalf, please let me know. I thank you so very much for your help, time, and for listening.

God bless, ciao.

Please call:
John Wetzel, Secretary of DOC (top person): 717-728-4109
Shirly Moore-Smeal (#2 in DOC): 717-728-4110
Michael Weneroicz (#3 in DOC): 717-728-4122 or 4123

If anyone can get a local politician, a state representative, or a PA senate senator to call, this would be amazing and a huge help. Thank you.