A diabetic Popley teenager died after he stopped taking his daily insulin injections because of teasing at school, an inquest has heard.
Blake Cook, of Fountains Close, tragically passed away on February 25 last year shortly after being rushed to Basingstoke hospital with a stomach bug.
North East Hampshire Coroner Andrew Bradley ruled that the 15-year-old had died from diabetic ketoacidosis, brought on by him failing to take his insulin.
Blake had as much as 28mg of glucose per litre in his blood at the time of his death, with the coroner agreeing that the Everest Community Academy pupil’s decision not to take his insulin had played a significant part.
And mum Davina Cook, who checked her son’s blood sugar levels each week, claimed that her “prince” had secretly stopped treating himself after being bullied by other children at his school.
Speaking at Wednesday’s inquest at Basingstoke Law Courts, she said: “He didn’t like injecting at school because of the bullying so he must’ve stopped then.
“When he got older, he wanted to do his injections for himself and wouldn’t do it if I was stood there, so I didn’t know.
“He was my prince and would try and be brave, but they’d say stuff like he’d never get a girlfriend because of his diabetes.
“The teasing must’ve hurt him.”
Diabetic ketoacidosis is a complication caused by a lack of insulin in the system to fight high blood sugar levels, with the body instead breaking down fat as an alternative source of fuel.
Blake had been suffering with a stomach upset for three days before he was taken to hospital, with independent consultant pathologist Dr Basil Purdue stating his belief that not treating him quickly enough also contributed to his death.
He said: “I don’t know if he was too ill to inject or didn’t want to because he was tired of doing it, which is not uncommon with youngsters.
“But on the balance of probability, if he’d arrived at hospital when he first became ill on the Monday, he would’ve survived.”
Coroner Mr Bradley added: “Young children with diabetes are easy to monitor, but the argument becomes more difficult when they got older and ‘because I said so’ isn’t enough anymore.
“This is a devastating case but it needs to be highlighted that with young diabetics, if there are any problems, you have to seek help sooner rather than later.”