I’ve been blessed as a mom in so many ways, but perhaps the biggest blessing is that my son is generally a healthy kid. The worst he has had so far in his young life is mono, and that was an utterly harrowing ordeal in and of itself. His neck glands swelled so much he couldn’t turn his head, the fever refused to break for days, he was totally lethargic, and it took a long time to figure out what it was. It was easily the worst summer of my life, but it absolutely gave me perspective. I couldn’t help but imagine what life must be like for moms helping their kids through chronic illnesses, and my heart ached for them.
What I don’t understand is how a mother sabotages her child’s health. For six months, Florida mom Edmonde Devalon, 36, failed to give her 15-year-old son the necessary medication he needed for proper liver function, according to Law & Crime.
The boy, who had an unspecified disease, reportedly needed to have an immediate transplant as a result of the medical negligence.
“Post Miranda, the defendant stated that she had not given the victim his medication since the middle of last year due to being overwhelmed with the number of children she has,” police wrote in the probable cause arrest affidavit. “The defendant further stated that she was aware that the victim’s medication was necessary and without it being provided it would be life-threatening.”
People online weren’t too quick to judge and filled the comments section on a post about her arrest with a wide range of opinions.
Many wonder if she did it intentionally to bump her child up on the donor list, while others said that would be far too risky of a plan.
“People so quick to condemn others but think that they should get grace. This was probably a situation that required medication that mom just couldn’t afford,” offered another commenter. “Just because the government helps one person that do not mean that everyone is eligible for the same help. Some is just $2 over that help thresh hold. Praying for all involved.”
Others, however, failed to see a potentially redeeming side to what happened.
“It does not say she did it to save his life. She was overwhelmed by the number of children she had to had to take care of. But he will still have to take care medication for the rest of his life,” someone else commented. “If she couldn’t afford it there are things you can do to pay for it. You can get grants and other things to help. She could if asked someone for help to give her a break from her children sometimes.”
Unfortunately, the official details stall there. It isn’t known what state the boy is in post operation or even how authorities learned that he was failed by his mother. I imagine hospital staff reported her for said negligence, which led to her arrest. We do know that the alleged crime occurred at Devalon’s home in Miami, according to police.
Devalon was taken into custody on February 17, 2026. Per Law & Crime, the mom remained at Miami-Dade Jail, booked on a $5,000 bond. If she posts the bond, she can only have supervised contact with the victim. Her next court date has not been listed yet, but she stands charged with child abuse with great bodily harm.
