Mom takes her 2-year-old son to get an HIV test after visiting a pub

One outing turned into a "day from hell" for a family. It ended with a mother of two who said she won't be able to rest until she knows for sure that her son is okay. That will take a few months.

Bates uploaded a post to Facebook describing a nightmarish outing she took with her kids. Following the incident, her son will have to go for repeat tests at the hospital.

The 23-year-old was at The Glass House of Wetherspoons for a family day in St Helens. Before sitting, Bates checked the table and saw it was clean, but she didn't check underneath.

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She told the Echo: "My son climbed under the table and picked up something that looked like a dark blue marker pen lin and I told him to put it down and that it was dirty."

Oscar, 2, did as he was told before changing his mind. He told mom that he wanted to show the object to his father.

When he said that, he also revealed, "there's a needle in it." Bates continued:

"So I grabbed it off him and he said, 'ouch, that hurt me.' Then I looked and there was a needle inside."

That's when Bates got a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"I felt sick literally as soon as I realized he had been pricked by it and knew we had to take him to the hospital straight away as my first thought was: 'oh my god, what if he's got HIV?' "

Amid her distraught feeling, Bates said she "had to keep a brave face for [her son] but it was absolutely horrible to see our baby going through that when he should never have had to."

She explained that her son was left distressed because of the blood tests that were done. He also had to take a hepatitis vaccine in his leg.

She added, "He's doing okay now, but he keeps talking about 'the needle' and remembering the hospital and having the injections done."

According to Bates, "This should never have happened."

A spokesman for Wetherspoon Eddie Gershon agrees. He made a statement saying, "The manager at the pub and the company apologise wholeheartedly to the lady and her family."

He further stated:

"This is a horrible incident and obviously shouldn’t happen. The lady and her child shouldn’t have had to go through the trauma of having an HIV test at the hospital."

The company also offered compensation to Bates.

"The manager at the pub would like to offer the lady a £50 gift card for use at the pub. This in no way underestimates the situation that she faced."

Bates later said she "won't be able to relax until [she knows] for sure he is alright. Her son has to go back for blood tests every three months.

However, the Director of Policy and Campaigns at National AIDS Trust (NAT), Kat Smithson, said something a bit comforting.

"There have been no cases anywhere in the world of somebody contracting HIV through a needle stick injury from a needle discarded in a public place."

Back in May 2018, a similar incident occurred to another young boy in a Coventry Park.

In this situation, residents of Quinton Pool, Cheylesmore were not shocked. The area is known to have drug issues and dirty needs are often found after a cleanup.

The young boy was in the park looking for frogs when he was pricked. His aunt told CoventryLive they were "horrified by it all."

The boy and his family were distressed upon having to wait for several test results following the incident.

In another horrendous scenario, a nurse at MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital was accused of intentionally infecting patients with her needle.

Cora Weberg, 31, faces charges of second-degree assault following an investigation. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention found Weberg to be a common source after two patients were diagnosed with Hepatitis C.

Weberg denies the allegations. Yet, she admitted to diverting controlled substances from the hospital. Her family and her legal representative said she would never hurt anyone.