Mother of 5 denied CT scan for chest lump, doctors warn of cancer risk
Apr 9, 2026·Location: Dilley, TX
Country of origin: Egypt

Hayam El Gamal, a mother of five detained at the Dilley Immigration Detention Center in Texas, was taken to the emergency room on April 9 after weeks of being denied medical care for an abnormal chest growth, despite a facility doctor recommending a CT scan in mid-February. She rated her pain as 11 out of 10, and the ER scan revealed fluid around her heart (pericardial effusion); DHS, ICE, and CoreCivic subsequently denied a follow-up ultrasound recommended by the ER doctor. According to her attorney, Eric Lee, three independent physicians who reviewed her case, Dr. Amy Zeidan, Dr. Virginia Reddy, and Dr. Christopher Merrick, have called for further testing for possible cancer, autoimmune disease such as lupus, and heart complications, warning that ICE and CoreCivic are systematically denying her care in a way that poses an urgent threat to her life. El Gamal and her four minor children have been detained at Dilley for over 10 months, far exceeding the 20-day legal limit for detaining children.
Sources
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