On December 30, 2010, Harriton junior wrestler Austin Wortley awoke like it was any other day. A week into Winter Break, Austin had been feeling some soreness in his chest and collarbone along with a cold, so he decided to visit an orthopedic doctor. The first thing B.J. Smith, his doctor, noticed was that Austin had an enlarged lymph node on his neck. That same day, Austin was sent for tests and by five o’clock it was confirmed that he had cancer. Eight days later, Austin was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma. His chemotherapy began January 10th and will be conducted through four cycles over a 12-week span. Austin is currently being treated in his first cycle.
As token of their support for Austin, the whole wrestling team shaved their heads. This succor is largely in part due to Coach Ciarlello’s continual stress of how the team is a family. Says Austin, “I really wasn’t surprised about them shaving their heads. Coach Ciarello has always emphasized how as a team we are a family. The real shock that I had
was that, when we finally stopped practice to start cutting hair, most of the guys were notreally that upset to part with their hair because they knew it was just a small sign of support. As they put it, that was the least they could do.” Said Coach Ciarlello, “Because there is a chance that he will lose his hair from the chemo, we, the wrestling team,wanted him to know that we are still his family. He is still a part of our lives and we are a part of his. We decided that we would shave our heads to let him know that we care for him and we have his back.”
Junior wrestler Shai Cooke had this to say, “It’s a terrible thing for a family to deal with and for Austin himself considering how young he is. Austin is being strong and I truly respect him for that.” Senior Zack Geaneotes added, “I know they [the Wortley family] are going through a rough time. I have known these kids since I was in the first grade from knowing his brother and his sister. I know that the whole family is going through a rough time and I will do anything to help the family.” Harriton wrestling coach Anthony Ciarlello said, “Austin is a kid who already has all these [normal] adolescent fears and worries. He is devastated that he had to give up wrestling. But, during this time Austin needs to feel like nothing has changed.”
In response to the team’s shaved heads, the wrestlers have noticed some mixed reactions. Freshmen Ben Levit said, “When we walk in as a team kids will stare at us and wonder why our heads are shaved and some coaches will come up to ours and ask, ‘What’s going on?’” And senior Zack Geaneotes added, “At the tournament we went to after we shaved our heads I knew a kid that wrestled for West Chester East and he was like, ‘Why do you guys all have your heads shaved?’ and I told him the situation and he was really sorry to hear about it, but other teams I feel like just look and talk when they don’t know the real story.” While junior Shai Cooke had this to say about the other teams’ reactions, “Pure respect. People understand why we shaved our heads and sympathize for us and for Austin.”