Before his passing, Congressman Sylvester Turner spent his final hours advocating for a woman and her child at the U.S. Capitol.
Angela Hernandez, a Houston mother, never imagined that her recent visit to the U.S. Capitol would become such a bittersweet memory. Just hours before the passing of U.S. Representative Sylvester Turner, Hernandez sat beside him during a crucial advocacy effort, sharing her daughter’s story at President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress.
Hernandez had traveled to Washington, D.C., at Turner’s invitation, determined to shed light on the daunting medical challenges her two-year-old daughter, Baislee Gracia, faces. The little girl was born with a rare chromosomal disorder known as Chromosome 8P inversion/duplication/deletion.
This condition is linked to developmental delays, intellectual disabilities, and birth defects. “She’s deaf in her left ear, has a cochlear implant. She can’t eat more than puréed foods, so she needs a feeding specialist,” Hernandez explained.
Fully aware of the family’s uphill battle to secure Medicaid coverage for these critical treatments, Turner used his platform to bring their story into the national spotlight. His advocacy, Hernandez said, made a lasting impact on her and so many others navigating similar struggles.
“As a special needs mom, you already have to fight so much every single day. To have an ally in his position willing to work for you and with you was an honor,” Hernandez said.
Congressman Turner also made sure that Hernandez’s story—and her daughter’s need for care—reached beyond the walls of the Capitol. Taking to X on March 4, 2025, Turner shared a post introducing Hernandez as his guest for the evening, explaining why her voice mattered so deeply in the conversation about Medicaid funding.
“She’s from the 18th district in Houston, Texas, and came to advocate for Medicaid services that are vital for her two-year-old daughter, Baislee, who has a rare genetic disorder,” shared the late political figure.
He went on to paint a clear picture of what was at stake for the family, revealing that Medicaid had already covered a $23,000 medical bed the family could never have afforded on their own.
Beyond that, Turner highlighted the staggering $16,000 per month in services and specialized care that Medicaid provided—all of it critical to Garcia’s development and quality of life.
The post carried a sharp warning as well, as Turner called out Trump’s efforts to slash Medicaid funding, directly threatening the very services families like Hernandez’s rely on to survive. “We will not stand by while he jeopardizes their lives. I will continue the fight for the Medicaid support that is crucial for families like Angela’s,” he declared.
On the day that Congressman Turner passed, he shared another post on X before his demise. As a follow-up to his previous X post, the late Medicaid advocate shared a video filmed alongside Hernandez at the Capitol.
In the clip, Turner and Hernandez stood side by side, united in their purpose, as they spoke directly to the public about the urgent need to protect Medicaid.
Hernandez spoke from the heart, sharing her family’s struggles, while Turner used the moment to amplify her voice, ensuring her message reached far beyond the room they stood in. As the video came to a close, Turner delivered a firm and unmistakable message, “Don’t mess with Medicaid.”
In the caption accompanying the post, Turner made it clear that his stance was unwavering. Yet again, he called out Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk for their push to gut the program.
He labeled their efforts “a betrayal of the most vulnerable among us,” warning that any reduction to Medicaid funding would land as a direct attack on families just like Hernandez’s.
“They are playing politics with children’s lives, and I will not stand for it,” clarified Congressman Turner. Though no one could have known it at the time, these would be among the very last public words Turner would ever share. His final act of service was rooted in compassion, conviction, and an unshakable sense of duty.
Speaking on his death and her reaction, Hernandez disclosed, “Initially I was in shock, but then I got very emotional. Because the last thing he was doing was fighting for Baislee.”
She continued, “We lost another ally. And at a time where [sic] people are so worried about only themselves, we need people in the fight who are worried about others. When you help others, you’re helping everybody, including yourself.”
In the wake of his passing, Hernandez extended her condolences to Turner’s family as well as to his dedicated teams in both Houston and Washington, D.C.
According to Congressman Turner’s Press Secretary Gregory Carter, the Democrat was transported to a hospital after the congress address and returned home where he passed away. No cause of death has been determined yet.
