A London, Ont. family is anxiously awaiting the results of medical tests after their six-year-old son pricked himself with a used needle while playing in a local park.
On Monday night, Ocean Renouf and her son Nathaniel went to Constitution Park for some pre-dinner playtime. When Nathaniel went to climb a tree, he discovered a needle on the grass.
“He runs over to me saying, ‘ow, ow, ow.’ And as he gets closer, I see he had a needle in his hand,” Renouf told CTV London.
At first, Renouf didn’t think her son had pricked himself with it, but then he held up his other hand.
“He said, ‘Mommy, look I’m bleeding,’ and the blood was coming down his hand on his right thumb,” she said.
Nathaniel was taken to the hospital, where he spent the night. He received a special injection to prevent hepatitis infection, but he’ll have to undergo several blood tests in the coming months to ensure he hasn’t contracted anything.
Renouf said she’s “traumatized” by the experience.
“Of course as a parent, I feel responsible because I did not look around and save him,” she told CTV London.
On Tuesday, Nathaniel showed reporters from CTV London the exact spot where he found the needle. There, CTV cameras spotted two more needles lying in the grass.
Middlesex-London Health Unit said needle use in public is a citywide problem, and parents should talk to their children about staying safe, regardless of their age.
“It’s terrible that a six-year-old would have been exposed,” Shaya Dhinsa, a manager at the Middlesex-London Health Unit told CTV London. “As a parent myself I find that concerning but I think it’s … a reminder to have that conversation with your child.”
If a child comes across a needle, she said, they should avoid touching it and notify an adult guardian or parent.
With a report by CTV London’s Marek Sutherland
