I touched a dangerous plant — and transformed into a Teletubby
Things got a little rough around the hedges for this British woman.
Tina Sabine, 28, claims she accidentally touched a plant believed to be the UK’s most dangerous — a giant hogweed — while taking her dogs for a walk in 2021, causing her face to swell so much that she looked like a Teletubby.
Giant hogweed is a flowering plant in the same family as carrots, Country Living reports. It was introduced in the UK in the 1980s and can grow to become “enormous,” especially in the summer.
Brushing against or breaking the plant can cause a severe burn within 24 to 48 hours. Blindness is a concern if it comes in contact with the eye.
The plant is also found in the US, earning the title of “federally listed noxious weed” in New York.
Sabine claimed she had to stay in the hospital for one month, unable to walk for two weeks due to the horrible blistering and burns she experienced.
“I went to bed absolutely fine,” Sabine told Kennedy News and Media. “I woke up, and I couldn’t physically move. I was in pain, not terrible — just annoying pain.”
The graphic design student observed that her hand was larger than life.
“I looked at my hand, it blew up and was bright red,” Sabine recalled. “It looked like it had been dunked in acid. At the hospital they asked if someone had poured acid on my hand.”
At the hospital, her fingers reportedly swelled so much that medics had to cut off her rings.
“I wasn’t really conscious the first few days, they were putting cream on it and making sure I wasn’t in pain and waiting to see if I got better,” Sabine said.
They dressed the wounds and gave her pain medication.
Sabine believes that she may have accidentally brushed against the deadly plant while walking her two dogs, Mocha and Latte.
“I didn’t look in the mirror until the hospital, and the right side of my face bulged out so much that I looked like a Teletubby,” she said, referencing the popular ’90s kids program.
The reaction also caused a blood clot in her spine, and walking became extremely painful.
Sabine said she had to use a mobility scooter for six months, and she still relies on a walking stick to get around.
“I was in hospital for over a month,” Sabine recounted. “I still can’t use my right hand today. I started feeling better after about two weeks.”
She is urging others to be aware of the plant.
“I’ve been back to the place where I suspect I came into contact with the hogweed, and it’s still there,” she noted. “It’s scary to think that there are kids out playing and could touch it.”