Diabetic woman forced to explain she's not 'shooting up' in pub as staff mistake insulin for illegal drugs

A diabetic woman caught on camera the moment she was forced to explain she was not 'doing drugs' in a pub when staff mistook her insulin injector for a needle - but trolls berate her for using medicine in public. Jade Percy, who has type one diabetes, was at her local pub with her dad in Margate, Kent on Tuesday 28 April and began injecting insulin after noticing her blood sugars were high.

The 23-year-old claims a bar tender happened to walk past and shot her a 'really funny' look, leading Jade to swiftly explain that she is a diabetic to the worker's relief. However a customer can be heard repeatedly exclaiming in the background 'that s**t will kill you' - as the warehouse worker tries to explain she is 'not doing drugs'.

The diabetic captured the moment and shared it on TikTok captioned 'the barman gave me a funny look…this was my reaction', which has now gained 878,000 views. The footage shows Jade holding her insulin pen and after noticing the bar man's confusion, you can hear her calmly explain 'I'm a diabetic. I'm not doing drugs here, don't worry' to which he responds 'oh, that makes more sense'.

Many users criticised the diabetic for injecting her insulin publicly and that she should 'do it in private' with one comment suggesting 'maybe next time let staff know what you're about to do'. In a follow-up video, Jade hits back at these negative comments and you can hear her saying 'I think I have to do enough as it is as a type one diabetic without having to inform every member of staff in the place'.

On average, the 23-year-old injects herself with insulin five times a day and she admitted this is not the first time people have mistaken her pen for drugs. Jade said: "As I went to inject, the barman walked round the bar and instantly looked at me really funny.

"So I just outright said it's not drugs because I know that's people's instant thought. I was like, 'don't worry it's not drugs, I'm a type 1 diabetic. I have to do this to survive'. I've had multiple funny looks and things like that. Luckily I haven't had really dramatic things happen to me.

"I've had a lot of people tell me about their situations and stories and it really does get to me which is why I try so hard to raise awareness." The diabetic revealed her 'laid-back and easy going' personality helped her to 'joke' about the situation but she was 'really upset' by the 'silly and naive' comments she received on her Tik Tok video criticising her for using her insulin injector in public.

Jade said: "I'm quite a laid-back, easy going person so I understand not everyone's going to have the same mindset and know about these things. It's who I am as a person to joke around. I do have moments where I break down and cry and I struggle. But I would never let someone else make me feel like that.

"But afterwards reading the comments I realised how it could've affected me a lot worse. For people who don't have my mindset it would probably have thrown them back and they would've had to go in the toilet because that's what they think they need to do. It's not like that at all.

"There are some really silly, naive people as seen in the comments. They're stupid. I understand people don't have the knowledge of it but it's someone's health, you shouldn't be saying things like that.

"You wouldn't ask a mother to breastfeed her child in the toilet, so it's no different. I'm keeping myself alive and they're keeping their child alive.

"If I spent all my time telling everyone who I'm with, I would never get the chance to inject and I'd end up in a coma. Your health comes first and foremost and people's judgements shouldn't stop you from looking after yourself. That's what I always try to always say to people who go to the toilet and hide or feel ashamed.

"That's why I'm sharing videos because at the start I worried about what people would think. Luckily, I have a good support system around me. I know not a lot of people have that. I don't want other people to feel alone."

Shortly after being diagnosed with diabetes in 2021, Jade revealed she did not realise she was a type one diabetic which led to her having a diabetic ketoacidosis or DKA, which happens when the body does not receive enough insulin for energy. The 23-year-old admitted she was hospitalised and 'almost lost her life' but this experience has helped her to ignore judgement and she now aims to spread awareness and help others.

Jade said: "The fact it got so bad and I almost lost my life, I know how important it is. Someone's judgement isn't going to compete with that. If I didn't inject, my sugars would spike and I would end up having something called a DKA which is what I had at the beginning.

"Which is why I'm like 'please look after yourself'. It is really dangerous. And my levels being high causes long term complications. You might feel okay while you're having a high but it might mess you up later down the line.

"I get so many messages from people saying that I've helped them and given them the confidence to film themselves injecting."

Many users criticised Jade for using her insulin pen in public.

One user said: "Maybe next time let staff know what you're about to do." Another user said: "Do it in private."

A third user said: "Why didn't you visit the bathroom." A fourth user said: "That's why I refuse to do it in public I have to go to a restroom."

Other users praised Jade and admitted they have shared similar experiences. One user said: "The amount of people saying do it in the toilets instead? I would never."

Another user said: "I'm T1 too and I'm so sick of the dirty looks." A third user said: "How do people not know what insulin pens look like."

A fourth user said: "I love doing it whenever I need to do it wherever I need to do it."