Chichester wrestler needs surgery, judge rules
A Delaware County judge ruled this morning that a 16-year-old injured Chichester High School wrestler must be treated by doctors, overriding the teen's parents, who wanted to treat him at home without drugs or surgery.
A Delaware County judge ruled this morning that a 16-year-old injured Chichester High School wrestler must be treated by doctors, overriding the teen's parents, who wanted to treat him at home without drugs or surgery.
Judge Mary Alice Brennan faxed an order to doctors at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, where the teen, Mazeratti Mitchell, has been bedridden since he suffered a spinal injury during a wrestling practice last month.
Delaware County Solicitor Don McBain said the order allowed the hospital "to proceed with the medical treatment. When and what will be up to the doctors at Jefferson."
He said surgery is necessary and "that is what the judge ordered."
The Boothwyn family declined immediate comment. Their lawyer, Michael Nix, said that he would appeal the decision to Superior Court and had asked for a stay of the order.
"They believe that the right of the child and the rights of the parents is more compelling than that of the state," Nix said.
The teen suffered the injury after colliding heads with another wrestler. He was unable to move for several minutes, and Jefferson doctors have said his spine should be stabilized with pins and plates while it mends.
The teen's parents have argued that they should be allowed to treat him with alternative medicines. His mother, Vermell Mitchell, describes herself as a trained naturopath with a degree from the Trinity School of Natural Healing, an Indiana school that allows students to obtain degrees by mail.