A mother and father in Pennsylvania were arrested after allegedly failing to purchase and deliver insulin to their 13-year-old diabetic son, resulting in him being hospitalized twice in one week, the second time in the intensive care unit for many days.
Anthony Diffendall, 41, and Meghan Diffendall, 36, of Middletown, were arrested last week and charged with one count each of endangering the welfare of a child.
The Lower Swatara Township Police Department confirmed the arrests in two brief news releases on Thursday, stating that the mother and father were charged as a result of “an incident that was reported to us.”
The victim has Type 1 diabetes and was taken to the hospital on June 22 and September 9 for diabetic ketoacidosis treatment, according to a probable cause affidavit acquired by The Daily Voice. Ketoacidosis is a dangerous disorder caused by a shortage of insulin that causes the blood to become very acidic, and it is normally treated as a medical emergency.
After being released on September 10, the victim was reportedly hospitalized again on September 13 when he began experiencing abnormal breathing, vomiting, and chest pain. Doctors at Penn State Children’s Hospital discovered that the boy was undergoing another ketoacidosis episode and admitted him to the intensive care unit.
The Diffendalls reportedly informed the medical personnel that their insurance had denied their son’s long-term insulin, forcing them to utilize expired insulin discovered in their refrigerator.
According to court documents, doctors stated that the boy appeared to be a victim of chronic medical neglect because his sugar levels were “beyond what is appropriate” for someone with his condition, and that he had “two significant hospitalizations in the past week” as a result of “management of his diabetes, or lack thereof.”
Returning to the June hospitalization, doctors found that three ketoacidosis hospitalizations in three months raised “concerns for [the victim’s] well-being and long-term health outcomes,” according to York Fox station WPMT.
Meghan Diffendall reportedly did not attend a seminar about her son’s health, despite being encouraged to do so. When asked where his wife was, Anthony Diffendall allegedly responded that she was “home sleeping.”
According to WPMT, the victim’s pediatrician informed authorities that the Diffendalls had not updated their son’s long-term insulin supply since January, despite the fact that he should have gone through “at least a box” per month.
“It is basically a miracle that the victim did not go into diabetic ketoacidosis many more times,” the doctor stated, adding that there were “concerns for medical neglect.”
Following their arrests, the parents went before Magisterial District Judge David H. Judy for arraignment proceedings. The judge ordered them release on their own recognizance and set preliminary hearings for the afternoon of November 26.
