Bee calm: Asda Strabane colleague channels Auntie instincts to help child stung by bee
A kind-hearted colleague at Asda Strabane harnessed her “inner auntie” to come to the rescue after a little boy was stung by a bee.
Debbie McDaid was on shift at the store when a child’s cry caught her attention.
With 10 nieces and nephews of her own, Debbie’s auntie instincts kicked in, and she rushed toward the sound, discovering a child in distress after being stung by a bee twice on the back of the neck.
Debbie, 38, said: “I am an auntie of 10 nieces and nephews, and I take that role very seriously, I hate to see kids upset.”
With the lad’s mum on hand to comfort him, Debbie rushed to find something to help bring the swelling down.
“I went straight over to the fridges and lifted a cold can of diet coke,” she said. “I thought the first thing I needed to do was to try and get the swelling down. The wee boy had been stung twice, and it did look sore. I checked with his mum that it was ok to hold the cold can against his neck and she agreed. She was grateful for my help.”
From there, Debbie, who has worked as a checkout operator at the store for 17 years, asked customer service colleagues to get some antiseptic.
“I did my best to distract him and make him laugh while I helped his mum apply Savlon gel to the stings,” she said.
“Once the situation had calmed down, the boy was able to carry on shopping with his mum, they were both very grateful and I was just glad that I could help. I checked in on them afterwards to make sure they didn’t need anything else and was relieved to see the little boy was smiling again.”
Emma Kelly, Community Champion, Asda Strabane said: “We’re incredibly proud of Debbie for stepping in so quickly and calmly. It’s moments like these that show the true heart of our team here at Asda Strabane - always ready to help, no matter the situation. Well Done, Debbie!”