Wrestler’s family grapples with hospital in court

On Tuesday, Vernell Mitchell got the call from a school wrestling coach: Your son Mazeratti has been injured. He can't move. An ambulance is on the way.

She and her husband, Jack, rejected the advice of doctors at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital that her son needed surgery and medication to repair a spinal injury suffered during a wrestling practice.

On Thursday, the Boothwyn couple was in a Delaware County court, navigating the legal system after 16-year-old Mazeratti was taken into protective custody by Children and Youth Services on the advice of Jefferson doctors. Common Please Judge Mary Alice Brennan continued the hearing until Monday, giving the Mitchells time to retain a lawyer.

The family, which has eight children aged 10 to 29 years, are all vegans and practice naturopathic medicine. Vernell Mitchell, 47, says she is a naturopathic doctor and believes her son's injury can be healed through other methods, including herbs and physical therapy. She wants time to get another medical opinion.

Mazeratti, nicknamed "Mazie," was wrestling during a team practice at Chichester High School when he flipped over and collided heads with his opponent, his mother said. Though he did not lose consciousness, he was dazed, and for a few minutes he could not move.

Doctors at Crozer-Chester Medical Center, where he was initially taken, transferred Mazeratti to Jefferson, Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a "bruised spine," his mother said. Medical records she was given indicate there was no fractures, she said.

The teen is lying flat on his back in a neck brace at the hospital, his mother said. Doctors told the family that any "slip and fall" could further damage his spine, and they want to use rods, screws and plates to stabilize his neck.

"He doesn't want the surgery, he doesn't want steroids either, or medicines that would elevate his blood pressure," said Vernell Mitchell. She said her son is already gaining strength in his legs but has some weakness in his arms.

Wednesday evening, Vernell Mitchell said, she received a letter from Delaware County's Department of Human Services, Office of Children and Youth Service, informing them of the custody hearing.

The letter said the action was taken because of the child's immediate medical need for treatment, the parents' refusal to cooperate with professionals and ". . . the well-being of the child was at risk."

Michael Dignazio, an attorney with the agency, said the hospital "did not want to take the risk of discharging him."

In an e-mail statement, a Jefferson spokesperson said the hospital "is fully cooperating with the Delaware County Department of Human Services Office of Children and Youth Services to provide appropriate medical treatment in the best interest of this patient."

Mazeratti has been assigned a court-appointed guardian, attorney Michael Molinaro, who asked the judge to be able to meet with the teen without his parents present.