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A young mum who suffered a diabetic fit in Tesco says she should have been offered help in-store - but was instead guided out of the shop and collapsed on the ground.
Ellesse Dick's blood sugars dropped while she was at the Metro store in Northdown Road, Cliftonville, leaving her feeling dizzy and spaced out.
The episode - known as a hypoglycaemic attack - began as she attempted to run items through the self-service checkout.
But despite being made aware of her condition, staff did not offer Ellesse a seat or something to boost her sugar levels, instead helping her out of the store, where she collapsed on the ground.
The 23-year-old recalled: "There were only a few things I needed to grab.
“By the time I got to the self-checkout, I couldn’t see anything and I was obviously having a hypoglycaemic attack.
“People around me were aware of my symptoms and someone who worked there asked if I was OK. I told them, ‘I’m diabetic, my sugars are low’.
"When I’m with people who understand the illness, they know how to react.
She continued: "Due to my sugars being low I was not able to ask for the necessary help, that’s why I didn’t ask for any - but they were aware my sugars were low as I told them that.
"[The staff member] then helped me out the shop. But when I came out, I collapsed on the floor.
“I started coming back round and I knew that I needed to get up.
"I couldn’t see anything around me and was guessing where I was going.
“When I got back home I was a wreck.”
Ellesse believes the situation would have been handled differently if she had been elderly and believes there should be more awareness about young people with diabetes.
“I did say to my mum the way it was dealt with was quite bad," she said.
“When I was outside, I could have hit my head or could have been robbed.”
A Tesco spokesperson has apologised following the incident.
"We’re very sorry to hear that this customer was unwell at our store and our colleagues would always offer our help to anyone struggling," they said.
“This appears to be a misunderstanding where our colleague did not fully understand how unwell the lady was feeling.
“Our store manager will be very happy to meet with her to apologise in person and understand more about the effects of diabetes.”
