Governor Newsom grants emergency release for cancer patient in California prison
LOS ANGELES - Governor Gavin Newsom granted an emergency release from the California Institution for Women for Patricia Wright, a 69-year-old woman who is terminally ill with cancer.
The California Institution for Women is experiencing a major COVID-19 outbreak, and Wright said inmates and officers were infected.
"It's horrible. You do what you can to try to stay alive. The officers were being diagnosed with COVID-19, you were afraid. I was just praying because I knew that one day if I stayed there any longer that I was going to be diagnosed with Covid 19," said Wright.
Her family and the California Coalition for Women Prisoners worked on Wright's case. The family was asking for a compassionate release due to terminal illness. Wright has been diagnosed with recurrent ovarian cancer. Her current expected survival is less than 6 months, according to doctors. Newsom granted the request for release, and Wright left the facility on Tuesday.
"I'm here. I give God all the glory. I'm here. I made it home. I just feel so much grace. I'm blessed to sum it all up. I'm blessed," said Wright.
Wright was given a life sentence, accused in her husband's murder. Wright has maintained her innocence, but needed a direct action from Governor Newsom in order to be considered for an early release due to her sentence.
"I'm so grateful to the Governor, Governor Gavin Newsom, to consider me with my illness to allow me to be released from prison," said Wright.
Wright said there are many other elderly women who are still in prison while the outbreak is ongoing at the facility.
"I left so many other people behind that are sick and elderly and I just want to appeal to the Governor and consider them," Wright said.
Wright spent 23 years in prison battling cancer and is also legally blind.
"I just want to live the rest of my life, what I have left with my grandchildren. I've missed so many years. 24 years of my life without my children, so much of my life I've missed. I've maintained my innocence even to this day, I'm innocent," said Wright.
Wright spent time with her family on Wednesday walking around the park. Her son, Alfey Ramdhan, described what 23 years was like without his mother.
"When I lost her, it took a lot from me. It took a whole lot. When I lost her, I lost my confidence, when I got her back, I got my confidence back," said Ramdhan.
Wright's sister, Sandra Wright, is her "best friend," and Sandra said words couldn't express her happiness for her sister's return.
"I'm just happy she's home, and we're together forever, until death do us part, forever," said Sandra Wright.
Wright has five children along with grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
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