Diabetic Woman Says Association Shut Her Out
After more than fifteen years relying on the Belize Diabetes Association for support, Tanya Wright says she has been shut out of the organization after complaining about her treatment by a staff member. Wright, who lives with diabetes, claims she was denied access to a bathroom during a low blood sugar episode and later barred from the association’s office when she raised concerns. She says the experience left her feeling abandoned by a group she had long depended on. The association disputes her account, saying Wright is not a current member and that staff felt threatened during their interactions with her. Wright says she is speaking out not just for herself, but for other diabetics who may be reluctant to voice their concerns.
On the Phone: Tanya Wright, Diabetic
“I wasn’t doing anything out of the way. So now I don’t know if that made him angry, and then miss lady, she, all she could do a back up him. How when I was in need there, that’s why in that recording I told them I fainted two times, because it was low or too high, I don’t know. I’m going through different new complications right now, and I don’t have my diabetes mellitus. I have brittle diabetes, which is a more advanced stage of brittle diabetes. And it’s, it’s just not right the way how they treated me. You know, I’m not doing this just for me, it’s for all those people because there’s a lot of people complaining. It’s just that I guess maybe I’m the only one that have the mouth to voice it.”
Britney Gordon
“Are you a member of the association?”
On the Phone: Tanya Wright, Diabetic
“Yes, I am. They’re claiming that I’m not. I’ve been going there for, like, over twenty years. They’ve just started to work there. How could she say that I’m not a member when they wanted me to renew things from my doctors, and I got everything for them out. I got everything for them that they needed. I didn’t get the money yet, but yes, but I, I did renew all the papers or proof or whatever they wanted the proof. So yeah.”
We reached out to the Diabetes Association and while they declined an interview, they maintained that the Wright’s treatment of staff led to her restriction from the premises but have since offered to deliver testing strips to her home.
Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.
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