08/05/2025
Way to go Mississippi, you've done it again BRAV F**KIN O 😤😤 When will you people humanize humanity??? 🙄
We failed Susie Balfour — and we are still failing others‼️😢
After more than 30 years behind bars, Susie was finally released in 2021 but not to freedom. Two weeks before her release, she was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. She had spent years asking for help, seeking proper care, and alerting medical staff to her condition. No one listened.
She walked out of prison with nothing but a death sentence.
On August 1, 2025, Susie Balfour passed away in hospice care. But in her final years, she turned her pain into purpose. She filed a federal lawsuit, she spoke out, and she became a voice for the voiceless — demanding justice not only for herself, but for the countless women still behind bars, enduring the same neglect.
She didn’t have to speak up. She could’ve stayed silent. But even from her sickbed, she reached out to lawmakers and advocates to make sure her story would not be forgotten. She wanted her life and her suffering to mean something. And it does.
But this is not just Susie’s story.
This is the story of a system that continues to allow people to die from treatable conditions. A system where private medical contractors collect millions of taxpayer dollars while denying cancer screenings, ignoring symptoms, and cutting corners on care. A system where labor is exploited and lives are lost and too often, nothing changes.
Her lawsuit is still active. The legislation she inspired passed the House but stalled in the Senate. And while we mourn her, people inside Mississippi prisons are still getting sick from preventable exposures and still struggling to receive basic medical care.
We honor Susie not just with words, but with action. Her life called all of us to a higher standard of humanity, accountability, and reform. Let her legacy fuel real change.
Rest in peace, Ms. Balfour. We see you. We will not forget. And we will not stop.
Read full article here: https://mississippitoday.org/2025/08/04/after-30-years-in-prison-mississippi-woman-dies-from-cancer-she-says-was-preventable/?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwL-LlhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHlQIItrao2RS5GzNdBtFfwq7FjyO5X19zvX84BC1B6wi41v6xGPU7bReKQaU_aem_YtmZZAJ7MCDZeQ5dzJhgOw
