Meet Mason and Madalyn Savely from Hamilton County, Tennessee.

In May 2020, at nineteen years old, Madalyn met Mason while he was in trade school. They married two years later. Their son, Holston, was born in September 2023.

At seven weeks old, Holston was taken to the ER of a children’s hospital in Tennessee. Mason and Madalyn were concerned about his swollen thigh. A full body scan was done. Doctors informed them that Holston’s femur was fractured and that he had other fractures in various stages of healing.

How was this possible? Holston had no outward bruising indicative of injury or trauma. A CT confirmed that no internal bruising was present. An ophthalmologist was consulted and determined that Holston had not been shaken. However, Holston’s lab results were abnormal. He had vitamin D and phosphorous deficiency, indicators of poor bone and connective tissue health. Conditions that, to date, he contends with.

After the full body scan, despite evidence to the contrary, and without seeking a second opinion, Mason and Madalyn were accused of abuse by a child abuse pediatrician. The CAP did not order additional medical tests after the fractures were found or consider the possibility of other plausible explanations for Holston’s fractures; they experienced tunnel vision. The CAP made up their mind after one series of tests and closed their mind to alternatives to abuse. The CAP sought only testing and data that supported their opinion; they could not definitively say that Holston was abused within a medical degree of certainty. The CAP disregarded the truth and, by doing so, triggered child abuse protocol. CPS was notified, and Holston was seized and taken into state custody. The Savelys were later informed that CPS sought to terminate their parental rights.

During the last year, the accusing CAP (and hospital) have refused to acknowledge that Holston is medically fragile, confirming their bias, an all-too-common practice when treating and evaluating a medically fragile child. 

Like other families who have medically fragile children and are accused of abuse by a children’s hospital, Mason and Madalyn conducted their research and discovered that they were not alone. Thousands of parents across the country were facing the termination of parental rights due to the opinion of a doctor, deemed as fact by CPS.

Law enforcement is not involved in the CPS case against the Savelys, and they are not currently under criminal investigation.

In March of 2024, Mason and Madalyn were vindicated when Holston was diagnosed with infantile rickets and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (Hypermobile-type) by an endocrinologist who specializes in EDS and other conditions affected by vitamin D levels. EDS is a genetic disorder involving connective tissues that support healthy bones, skin, and blood vessels. Holston inherited EDS from Mason and Madalyn; they were also diagnosed with the disorder. Since then, two additional medical experts have confirmed Holston’s diagnosis.

With three independent doctors concluding that Holston was not abused, clearly and convincingly proving Mason and Madalyn are factually innocent, CPS still seeks to terminate their parental rights, a stark example of the injustice they face due to a misdiagnosis by a doctor.  

The Savely family has spent over $100,000 on legal fees and medical experts, an overwhelming financial burden resulting from CPS relying on the opinion of a CAP rather than doing its due diligence and adequately investigating the allegation of abuse. CPS has taken an opinion and represented it as a fact, fracturing another innocent family.

Next month, Mason and Madalyn will be in court, facing the possibility that they could have their parental rights terminated because a CAP and CPS refuse to acknowledge that Holston is medically fragile and has diagnosed conditions that conclusively explain the fractures.

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