GOD’S MIRACLE AMONG CORRUPTION IN IDAHO

In this debut memoir, a black single mother fights a losing battle against Idaho institutions on behalf of her disabled daughter.

The author asserts that God saved her daughter, Robyn, when she suffered a stroke in 2007. Myers-Edwards now seeks to reveal the medical negligence that caused her daughter’s stroke; the legal ineptitude and deception that prevented the author from pressing her case; and the uncaring systems that blocked her attempts for recourse at every step. After her divorce, Myers-Edwards moved to Idaho with her children to seek a fresh start for her family. Robyn started to experience odd, numbing episodes, and the author took her to a physician for a diagnosis. He prescribed Zomig, an anti-migraine medication. Robyn took the drug following another episode and had a stroke shortly after. Suddenly she was fighting for her life in a hospital, and Myers-Edwards had to leave her work at the Idaho Department of Labor to care for her. The doctors were pessimistic, but Robyn slowly recovered after her family prayed. Her routine had to be readjusted, with an Individualized Education Plan and an aide to support her through school. In 2009, Myers-Edwards began her malpractice case against the physician who prescribed Zomig. But, she charges, she soon realized that changes had been made to her daughter’s medical records that supported his actions (a history of headaches). According to the author, her lawyer lied to her about expert witness testimony and mysteriously decided to withdraw from the case. Myers-Edwards then became aware of a larger pattern. The author contends that the Idaho Falls Police Department quietly silenced her official complaints: It stopped responding to her emails after claiming to take on the investigation. From the beginning of her moving book, Myers-Edwards passionately discloses her intentions to expose wrongdoing. She tells readers that she suspects her story could be evidence of racism in the Idaho government. Examining the witness testimony, correspondence, and official records included in this lucid work, readers can easily spot the inconsistencies for themselves. But without further interviews, sources, and research, the account isn’t able to dig very far into the details of the corruption the author claims she witnessed. Still, her stirring tale demonstrates the challenge that obtaining legal justice can pose in America for anyone without vast financial resources.

A plaintive but fiery plea that clearly shows the strength of the author’s convictions.