A kidney transplant patient who has been shielding throughout the coronavirus pandemic said more respect needs to be shown after she suffered a horrifying shopping experience.
Elaine Nightingale and her daughter were perusing items at the Sports Direct branch in Wisbech on Thursday, September 10 when another customer approached them.
“We were coming out of the end aisle when a lady extended her arm and pushed the clothes back on the rail and tried to push past me,” Elaine said.
“I kindly asked her if she could step back and let me past as I’m vulnerable; I’m a kidney transplant patient with stage five kidney disease.
“They started shouting at me to move. The man then got his wife’s arm and pulled her away. He then told me to f*** off.”
Elaine’s daughter then intervened to help her mother, who has left her home twice since March but the first time she has experienced an incident like this.
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“My daughter said, ‘excuse me, don’t talk to my mum like that’. They both walked away still shouting ‘you should have just f***ng moved’,” Elaine said.
“Other shoppers entering the shop heard everything along with a female shop assistant who was near the entrance. I’m disgusted at being spoke to in that. I wear a lanyard which clearly states that I’m vulnerable and to please social distance.
“It was supposed to be mother and daughter time, but their attitude put a dampener on our time together.”
Elaine, from Whittlesey who is waiting for her donor kidney to be removed, said she rarely leaves home and was shocked by the situation.
The 48-year-old admitted she will not be going out in public anytime soon but urges people to take the Covid-19 pandemic more seriously to prevent similar incidents from happening.
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“On the rare occasion I leave my home, I follow the social distancing rules and give people their space. I would like to be shown the same respect,” she added.
“I only asked the woman if she could step back. It took me a few seconds to realise what he had said, and all I said in reply to their comments was by saying how rude they were.
“I’d like people just to follow the rules set out on social distancing and show respect to people around you. Just because people look OK, doesn’t mean that they are.”
Sports Direct have been contacted for comment on the incident.
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