A Welwyn Garden City woman has described her frustration at the treatment her little sister received at Splashlands when she was suffering from low blood sugar.
Lexi, aged nine, and her family were shocked when she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes only five weeks ago.
Her older sister Aime told this newspaper how the past few weeks have been a learning curve and that Lexi’s insulin is currently a trial and error process.
On July 30, the family attended Splashands on its opening day, but when it was time to leave Lexi discovered she couldn’t move her legs as they had gone numb.
When her mum checked her blood sugars it was down to 2.1 mmol/L – much lower than it should be.
Aime said: “Lexi’s mum tried to explain to the staff that worked there she was type 1 and was suffering hypoglycaemia – but their response was ‘we don’t care get out’. People lining up were shouting, swearing and recording the whole thing and when she finally was able to get up and leave everyone cheered and clapped.
“It’s disgusting as the response from the staff and public also triggered Lexi to have an asthma attack.
“This is the first time Lexi has been out for the day to enjoy since lockdown as she comes under the vulnerable category. The way her day ended is really upsetting! She’s nine years old and thinks no one cares if she dies, she’s been so emotional and upset.”
Aime believes that people were annoyed because they assumed she was lying and just wanted extra time in the park.
She has even given her dad a 10ft pool for Lexi to play in the garden with, as she doesn’t want to go back and feels safer at home.
Aime added: “The staff didn’t help, the staff didn’t ask if she was OK, they dismissed her and told her to leave and they didn’t care about her having a hypo.
“I don’t think the staff are first trained or medically trained as they would have given her the time to recover and get her blood sugars up.”
A spokesperson for the Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council said: “We’re sorry to hear of Lexi’s experience and hope she has made a full recovery and will return to Splashlands soon.
“We are aware that it took extra time for some visitors to changeover after Thursday’s first session, but no medical reason was given to staff on site at that time.
“Our top priority is for all visitors to enjoy Splashlands safely and we want to reassure everyone that GLL/Better staff are fully trained to respond to medical issues when they are reported, including administering first aid.”
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