Player in Coma Is Diagnosed as Having Leukemia

Darren Wedertz, a junior at Santa Margarita High School who has been in a coma for nearly a week, has been diagnosed as having leukemia, Msgr. Michael Harris, the school’s principal, said Thursday.

Wedertz was injured while making a tackle during a junior varsity football game Friday. He lost consciousness and was taken to Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo, where he was listed in serious condition.

On Thursday, Wedertz was moved to Children’s Hospital of Orange County, where he will undergo treatment for leukemia. He remains unconscious.

“One of the things that no one could figure out was how Darren could have suffered so serious an injury from a normal tackle,” Harris said. “Apparently, the leukemia had weakened the blood vessels in his head.”