Nurse Allegedly Withheld 3-Year-Old’s Breathing Tube as She Gasped for Air — Lawsuit Claims ‘History of Abuse’

A Pennsylvania home healthcare company is being sued for allegedly ignoring a nurse’s “long history of abusing infants in her care,” which the lawsuit claims led to a 3-year-old’s tracheostomy tube being removed, causing her to struggle to breathe.

David and Meredith Nastasi have filed a negligence lawsuit against Lincoln Healthcare Services LLC, which operates as Team Select Home Care, and nurse Cindy Desser, alleging their daughter was mistreated.

According to the lawsuit, the child was born at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in October 2023 with spina bifida, pulmonary hypertension, hydrocephalus, and lung hypoplasia. She was also born without the lower half of her left ribs, abdominal muscles, and her left lung.

She remained hospitalized for more than nine months and underwent six major surgeries. She was discharged in late 2024 with a tracheostomy, was ventilator-dependent, and required 24/7 nursing care.

To meet her extensive medical needs, her parents hired a team of nurses from multiple home healthcare agencies, including Team Select Home Care.

“She was medically fragile and, after all she had been through just to make it home, she needed to be cared for by nurses who were compassionate, kind, and attentive to her needs,” the lawsuit states.

“Instead, Team Select sent a monster named Cindy Desser, who was frequently assigned as the child’s nighttime nurse,” the filing adds.

On the evening of May 25, 2025, the parents allegedly watched in horror as Desser repeatedly choke-slammed their daughter with such force that it rattled her crib and knocked over medical monitoring equipment.

Desser began working in the Nastasi home in late January or early February 2025. The lawsuit alleges she frequently fell asleep on the job, at times missing critical medical alerts.

In one instance, she allegedly fell asleep wearing headphones and did not respond as alarms sounded, indicating the child’s oxygen levels had dropped below 85%. Meredith Nastasi had to rush in and wake her.

Desser was later arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated assault, one count of recklessly endangering another person, and one count of simple assault.

“Upon information and belief, Desser had a long history of abusing infants in her care and had worked stints with numerous other home healthcare companies that had either fired her or separated from her on poor terms by the time she was hired by Team Select in late 2024,” the lawsuit alleges.

The filing further claims this was not the first time — and “tragically, not the last.” While out on bail in this case, Desser allegedly obtained employment with another home healthcare agency and abused another toddler in Bucks County.

The lawsuit states the parents were forced to witness the alleged abuse, causing “tremendous psychological and emotional harm, distress, and pain.”

“They may in the future require medical treatment and care for these psychological and emotional injuries,” per the lawsuit.

Bensalem Police are investigating the incident, which occurred at a residence on Locust Avenue. Detectives reviewed multiple video recordings that allegedly captured the abuse.

Desser was entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database on March 25, 2026, and arrested the same day.

She was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Kevin Wagner and remanded to the Bucks County Correctional Facility after bail was set at $2 million.

Her next court date is scheduled for April 7.