This year myself and a few friends will be raising money for Facial Palsy for our good friend Selma. Please take time to read Selma's story below to help me and my team reach our target and more importantly donate to a good cause. Thank you!

 

My troubles started when I was 8 months pregnant with twins, I noticed one night my face had dropped completely on the left side, I thought I'd had a stroke. We went straight to hospital and I was diagnosed with Bells Palsy. The doctors explained that my facial nerve was under attack and the 5 areas the nerve controls had stopped functioning. They said pregnant women are more prone to the condition and I should be back to normal within a couple of weeks. My speech was badly slurred, I couldn't eat or drink comfortably, my eye was wide open and wouldn't close unless I prised it shut.

 

I had the babies and kept busy with a new routine but every couple of months I was back at the GPs asking why I still looked like a stroke victim. They fobbed me off again and again, telling me I'd recover, it would just take time. It took 10 months to be taken seriously and referred to a neurologist. I was then told my next step was to start Botox injections. I'd now had facial palsy so long I was now suffering with something called synkinesis, where the nerve activity is so uncoordinated that it twists and tightens the facial muscles. The Botox helps relax the muscles and controls the over activity.

 

It's now been almost 3 years and my treatment has been moved to Queen Victoria hospital in East Grinstead and the help I've received from them is in a different league. Due to my circumstances, my palsy and treatment is now lifelong but it doesn't necessarily have to be that way for others. Facial palsy UK is run and managed by the team at QV and their main campaign is to raise awareness and improve the services given by GPs and other first ports of call.

Anyone can be affected by Facial Palsy, it can strike at any time, and speaking first hand, it can drastically alter lives. There's still so much that can be done, but the charity need help and support