M’Layah Chapman was left with a severe and worsening skin condition a short while after playing with a store-bought slime, and mum Katherine has a warning for parents
The mum of a young girl has warned other parents about the dangers of slime after her daughter was left needing a wheelchair.
M’Layah Chapman, from Fallowfield, endured a painful and severe eczema flare-up after using store-bought slime last summer. The nine-year-old had been playing with the sticky toy with a friend when small spots began appearing on her skin. Those strange spots which appeared shortly after playing with the slime turned into blisters, which began to seep and later became infected.
M’Layah’s mother, Katherine, sought medical help from a GP, with concern for her daughter’s worsening condition. M’Layah’s skin infection became so severe she was admitted to a hospital ward and ended up in a wheelchair.
The youngster had suffered from eczema since her birth but a bad flare up saw a drastic change in her skin condition shortly after playing with the store-bought goo. Following various treatments, M’Layah is still suffering from the flare-up, and the pain is impacting her daily life.
Katherine, 43, has since issued a warning to other parents about letting kids with sensitive skin play around with the slime. She told MEN: “Since she played with the slime, everything has been bad. 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.”
Katherine says her daughter’s condition has deteriorated drastically since 2023 and while it’s never been proven the slime is the cause of the severe flare-up, Katherine believes it may have been the reason. She said: “It’s out of my control. 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.”
M’Layah and her family are now looking into alternative treatments which may ease her pain. Light therapy, which uses UV light to reduce inflammation, has been considered. Katherine added: ““It’s impacting her mentally now. 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.”