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Christmas Day 2003 was the day that Clare Mount "lost" his smile at a condition called Bell's palsy. On Boxing Day that year, the 40-year-old mid-40s from South Wales awoke with some of her face paralyzed. Bell's palsy is a condition in which the muscles of one side of the face become weak or paralyzed, causing a "slump".
"My right side had lost so much, it did not even seem to belong to me," Clare said in an interview with Facial Palsy. "I could not speak without complaining, I could not blink, nothing, I was scared and I was devastated."
According to the BBC, Bell's palsy affects each year up to 24,000 people in the UK. But awareness means that many still can not get timely treatment.
Steroids for the first 72 hours after the onset of the condition may help, but Clare has not received the treatment she needed in 2003.
"The doctor told us that it was a Bell palsy and that nothing should worry, because it would heal and I should consult my own doctor. Was given, no treatment other than rest, "she told the organization.
According to the BBC, in eight out of ten cases, people recover from Bell's palsy. The effects on their face reverse in a few weeks or months. Claire, however, has lived with this condition for 15 years.
In her interview, she tells how living with Bell 's palsy affected her: she was bullied, she spent years trying to find a treatment that would work and her anxiety got worse.
But after receiving online advice from another Bell sufferer, Clare recently learned of the existence of a team of facial paralysis specialists in a Swansea hospital – and has managed to get an appointment.
"Right now, I'm on the cloud 9. Not only do I have options and hope, but I sensitize my support network and their friends," she says.
(This story has not been changed by NDTV staff and is generated automatically from a syndicated feed.)
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