Brother, I'm Dying

Edwidge’s father continues to deteriorate, and he is “becoming agitated, panicked at times” (204), so his doctor refers him to another pulmonologist, giving Mira new hope. Edwidge reluctantly informs him that Joseph and Maxo are in Krome. The reports from Joseph’s initial medical screening describe him as “composed, friendly and ‘purposeful’” (205), but by the end of the day his blood pressure rises dramatically, and he spends the night in the prison’s medical facility. Edwidge contacts Ira Kurzban, a lawyer working with immigrant clients, and he sends his associate, John Pratt, to look into matters. After a long wait, Pratt informs Edwidge that Joseph’s “credible fear” hearing has been scheduled for the next day. Joseph calls her from prison, and Edwidge can only offer words of encouragement. 

During the asylum hearing, Joseph experiences a seizure and vomits violently, and then “my uncle’s body grew rigid and cold, his arms falling limply at his side” (211). A nurse and medic arrive only after 15 minutes and find Joseph “almost comatose,” but the medic determines that Joseph is faking his seizure and, as they put him into a wheelchair, accuses him of not cooperating. Later in the day, his condition worsens, and he is moved, shackled, to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.