A mum has issued a warning after her daughter was left wheelchair-bound after playing with slime.
M’Layah Chapman had a severe eczema flare-up when she had played with store-bought slime last summer. The nine-year-old from Fallowfield was playing with the sensory toy when a friend started to notice small bumps appearing on her skin.
The spots turned to bumps and then blisters, which began to seep and became infected. M’Layah’s mother Katherine sought medical help from a GP after noticing her condition worsen.
However, her skin condition was so severe that she ended up in a wheelchair and had to be admitted to a hospital ward, the Manchester Evening News reports. The youngster had suffered with eczema since being a baby, but the slime made this significantly worse according to her family.
Despite using various treatments and creams, M’Layah continues to struggle with her extreme flare-up – the pain impacting every aspect of her daily life. Katherine, aged 43, has now issued a warning to other mums of children with sensitive skin about playing with slime.
M’Layah’s severely dry and sore skin
(Image: Katherine Chapman)
“Since she played with the slime, everything has been bad,” the mum told the Manchester Evening News. “Her body got infected and her eczema flared up to the point where she couldn’t walk.
“Her skin flared up and cracked on her legs. She couldn’t put them straight and they stayed bent for a while. They were very sore and all tender down the back.
“It’s impacted her every single day to the point where the doctor has referred us for support and management on living with long-term conditions.
“We can’t go to Whacky Warehouse like other children. We can’t go to the markets for a hot chocolate. When we go out, which is very rarely, she won’t even use a public toilet. I can’t buy any clothes off any old website; I have to make sure it’s 100 per cent cotton.
“We’ve become prisoners in our own home because of her eczema.”
The family are running out of options
(Image: Katherine Chapman)
M’Layah started to exhibit symptoms of eczema and allergies at just six-months-old when Katherine noticed the tot had a red face when she started weaning her onto baby food. Later, it was discovered her daughter was allergic to oranges, soya, citrus, milk, nuts, wheat, dust mites and trees.
However, Katherine says the slime has worsened her daughter’s condition. While it’s never been proven the slime caused M’Layah’s skin to severely flare-up, Katherine believes it may have been the reason.
“It’s out of my control,” Katherine said. “I can get support with medication, but the eczema flares up when it feels like it wants to. As an adult, I wouldn’t want to go through this.
“She’s off school because it weeps and it’s everywhere – you can see the scratch marks.”
Eczema (also called atopic eczema or atopic dermatitis) is a very common non contagious dry skin condition affecting one in five babies and children in the UK, according to Allergy UK. The common symptoms of eczema are dryness, itch and redness to the skin. Eczema often appears in the first few months of life, and for most children their eczema often improves as they get older.
There is currently no cure for eczema but avoidance of trigger factors (those which make the eczema worse) and a clear eczema treatment plan for managing eczema will help manage symptoms for most children.
M’Layah and her family are now looking into light therapy, which uses UV light to reduce inflammation. “It’s impacting her mentally now,” Katherine added. There’s not enough awareness. It’s been traumatic for her and it’s been upsetting.
“Watching your child in pain and there’s nothing you can do – I wake up and I don’t know where [the eczema] is going to be the next day. Is it going to be on her face?
“It’s really stressful. It’s the lack of sleep and the fact I’m now a nurse to my own child and giving her education. It’s quite shocking.”
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