Dear Family 21

                                                                                                12/04/2014

Fam,

            I want to share a situation with you because I need your help. About a year ago the left side of my face felt like it was going numb, and so did my left arm. This happened while I was on the Allred Unit. They took me to the hospital that same night and after several tests, including an MRI (which is like a brainscan) they couldn’t find anything wrong. But ever since that day I’ve felt that same numbness on the left side of my face. Now, I’m on Pack One Unit in Navasota Texas and this medical condition is getting worse. About three months ago I was in the dayroom doing some exercises and I busted my head on this steel air condition vent. My head was split open, I needed stitches but all they did was clean it and bandage it. Let me just say that the worst thing that can happen to you in prison is that your health fails. The medical personnel will literally let you die if you don’t have any outside support to get their attention. So, anyway, after I busted my head open, it healed after about a week. Then one night I started feeling shaky, like it was cold. My jaw was shaking, my whole body felt like it was shivering. The next day I noticed that my jaw was still shaking, kind of like it does when you’re real cold. So, I told a nurse because it wouldn’t stop shaking. That was three months ago and I still haven’t gotten checked out. The reason I’m telling you this is because my symptoms are getting worse. Not only is my jaw shaking, but I feel dizzy and I have a pain in my head right where I busted my head open. I’m not sure if there’s blood on my brain, or if it’s something else. But things got real bad after that head injury. The problem is that the medical providers are not helping. They have not sent me to a real hospital so I can see real doctors. I’m sitting here as my condition grows worse and it’s scary as well as painful. I need to get help. I know I can depend on you because you have never let me down. I want you to call UTMB, which is the medical department of Texas prisons. Let them know that I’m suffering a pain in my head that won’t go away, that my jaw has been shaking non-stop for three months, that I feel very dizzy and that nobody at this unit is treating my emergency condition like an emergency. I don’t even know if I’ll make it by the time you get this letter, but it’s all in God’s hands. I don’t fear death, but I’m not in a hurry to meet it. But if I don’t make it, let me remind you that I love you and pray that you’ll give yourself the very best in life. Only you can give yourself the best and you’re smart enough to know what’s best and what’s not.

            Well, the numbers I have on UTMB are 936-437-4271 and 936-437-1972. Let them know we don’t want any trouble, we just want the humane treatment that any human being deserves. I wouldn’t be bothering you with this if it wasn’t serious. Let them know that you’re my friend but that we’re also like family and that you demand I be seen by real doctors immediately. Tell them that I’ve been trying to get seen by a real doctor for months and now things have gotten really bad. Thank you for helping me and if God is willing, I’ll be writing you again soon.

Con Todo Mi Amor,

Los

From Incandesio:

Coy's inmate # is 1110642. Please, be polite, and if you want to post the first name of the individual you speak with, do so in the comments. Let them know you'd like to register a complaint; see if they'll give you a call back once the issue has been resolved. Please be willing to give your name and a phone number, so they can identify each complaint.

If you're not sure what to say, consider this a basic guide:

"Hi, my name is such-and-such. I'm calling about a prisoner who is not receiving necessary medical care. I would like to register a complaint about the delay."

"If this is not the right department, can you please transfer me to someone who can help?"

"This is very important to me; I want to make sure that my complaint is (recorded, logged, documented, etc). Would it be possible for me to receive a case number, or a call back when my friend receives his care?"

According to UTMB's Org chart, the vice president of Offender Health Services is named Owen Murray. You can ask to speak with him, although you probably won't get through, and you can ask to leave him a message.

If you run into a situation you're not sure how to respond to, let me know about it in the comments. Chances are that someone else will run into the same one and we can work together to figure out what should be said. Let's get this done.